A fascinating example of this is the way that professional footballers have made use of Twitter. Obviously, a case could easily be made to say that footballers’ use of social media is as commercial as any business; akin to a celebrity feeling the need to consolidate or bolster public profile to attract sponsorship or advertising opportunities. Only last week, Rio Ferdinand used his Twitter account to effectively advertise (much to the chagrin of Twitter itself) with a somewhat unsubtle twit-pic of him sucking on a Snickers bar.

And yet, I dare say that most footballers lack the business ingénue to really use Twitter solely for commercial gain. Instead it would seem that most footballers, media trained to within an inch of their life, relish the chance to engage a wider public with their own voice; a rare chance to speak beyond the weird cliché riddles that make up the entirety of pre and post match interviews. Indeed, it seems to be of increasing concern to the FA that players have begun to express themselves through the medium – with one senior figure inside the sport (name not disclosed by The Daily Telegraph) likening footballers on twitter as the equivalent of ‘giving a monkey a chainsaw’. However, regardless of how they view it, Twitter is a tiny bit of personal PR that seems increasingly precious to players regularly dissected in the press on both front and back pages.

Of course, it takes a bit of nous to use Twitter well. While some players have successfully combatted the stereotype of footballers as people who would lose a battle of wits with a pebble, others have not.  Step forward Ryan Babel. No one expected the former Liverpool player to be a closet genius; which was lucky, because his Twitter activity has confirmed his claim toward village idiot status.  Not only did he post a picture of referee Howard Webb in a Manchester United shirt following a match last January (leading to a hefty fine from the FA) but his general (and frequent) posting strikes the tone of a pre-pubescent child who has been necking skittles behind his mum’s back.

But at least it is entertaining – I for one would much rather learn about the finer details of Ryan Babel’s new swimming trunks (which he has disclosed) in Anglo-Dutch gangsta-patois than read homophobic comments posted by (former) Leicester player Michael Ball. It’s one thing to be stupid enough to actually be a homophobe; it is a whole other level of stupid to reveal them on a public forum. Having been fined £6,000 and released by his club conveniently soon after the incident, this was perhaps the most extreme example of a personal PR catastrophe on Twitter, and the demonstration of the potential damage that 140 characters can really do.

On the other hand, there is one footballer that has used Twitter in a quite ridiculously brilliant way, dragging his reputation out of the U-bend and into the periphery of respectability. Joey Barton’s renaissance as a public figure has been as swift as it has been surprising. Pre-Twitter everything that anybody knew about Barton suggested a manboy destined to spend his life in the slammer. It was true that he had proved to be a moderately decent player, but in his spare time he primarily liked assaulting people he passed in the street (or teammates – whoever really) and poking lit cigarettes into the eyes of others to settle arguments. With a criminal record longer than Tolstoy novel, his public and professional reputation seemed utterly irredeemable.

But then he got himself on Twitter. Suddenly, the person whose actions had hitherto suggested a walnut-sized brain was revealed as articulate and intelligent. Opinionated yes, but his tweeting is also interesting, engaging and in possession of an insightful perspective of the sport that obsesses the nation. But he was also keen to talk with fellow tweeters about other things; lyrics by The Smiths, politics and even Greek philosopher Aristotle (ARISTOTLE!!). When warned for his tweeting candour relating to recent criticism of former QPR boss Neil Warnock last week, Barton railed against the ‘Orwellian’ tone of the FA letter. Accordingly, it has become clear not only that Barton is no dunce, but that following him is really worth it. He currently has upwards of a million followers – a figure most businesses would kill for.

In short, Barton has used Twitter to reveal his personality. He has made himself accessible to fans and journalists alike, and in doing so has cultivated a new level of respect as both a professional and as a public figure. He remains a controversial character of course, but controversial in a way that makes him good pundit material (he recently appeared on Match of the Day), as opposed to controversial in the whether-or-not-he-should–be-incarcerated sort of way.

And all because of Twitter. Barton’s tweets make the most of an inclusive medium, allowing him to slowly re-mould the perception of his character before our very eyes. Of course, this new perception as is not necessarily any closer to reality than the old one as an ignorant thug (for all we know Barton’s Twitter may be operated by a crack PR team of super-tweeters) but the fact is that the account has demonstrated just how powerful a tool Twitter can be in public relations. Moreover, Barton’s Twitter has provided a handy little blueprint for social media marketers: be interesting, be engaging, be responsive, but above all, give your account a genuine sense of personality and make followers believe that you offer the promise of something more than simply the service/product/brand that you promote.

PR & SOCIAL MEDIA IN 2012:

1. More than words – multimedia social networks/apps are the ones to watch

The big shift in content creation/demand will be the rise of multimedia focused social networks and apps such as Instagram and Path: these will see the biggest growth spurts in 2012, helping people to share their images in a simpler and more ‘realtime’ way than Facebook. There hasn’t been a huge uptake of Instagram and the likes by brands (with some notable exceptions) but as they gain a bigger audience we’ll see that shift and photo updates will become a standard component of social media campaigns. It’ll be much easier for agencies and brand teams to manage when Instagram pulls its finger out and supports multiple accounts from the app, though.

2. Brand transparency = brand currency

Being open, honest and transparent doesn’t come naturally to some organisations – but if you are engaging on social media platforms it’s essential. Whereas 2011 was the year many brands dipped their toe in the water of transparency, 2012 will be the year that they understand the benefits of it. Domino’s, for instance, took a big, cleansing leap into world of transparency, not only allowing a public (virtually) unfiltered comment and review stream from customers, but mounting it in Times Square. Based on 6872 reviews posted, they gained a four-star rating (out of five), which when done in such an open manner, is not only impressive, but potentially more compelling than 10 five-star ratings in a non-social environment.

3. Welcome to the smart wallet

In terms of device-driven changes to trends and opportunities, the arrival of NFC (Near field communication) in mainstream handsets will see a number of opportunities open up across the communications spectrum. It’s not new technology, but it hasn’t yet been available in enough mainstream handsets for organisations to see a big enough user base to invest in applications – until 2012 that is. The iPhone 5, whether you’re an Apple fan or not, will most likely herald the arrival of mainstream NFC (not the Nokia or Blackberry devices that have sparked little or no development of mass market applications) and by 2014, 1 in 5 smartphone handsets should be NFC enabled. This could see you using your mobile handset to pay for goods instantly by tapping a sensor at the till (or on your computer when shopping online), unlock your office door with a quick wave, check in at a hotel without queueing, log in to your computer without hitting a single key, whizz through the turnstiles at the tube station without your oyster card leaving your wallett, pay for a cab without any cash or cards, add someone to your address book by tapping their business card or book a concert ticket just by touching the poster. Just imagine the implications for marketing. A cool infographic on NFC applications can be found here.

iTV

Amidst rumours of an Apple iTV product (not the Apple TV product that already exists of course), smart TVs will also help to catalyse the social media revolution, integrating social features into programming to evolve the current trend of double-screening into something inherently part of enjoying television. One interesting element of social media’s impact on broadcasting is the renewed focus on watching a programme when it airs in order to enjoy the online banter as it happens (and not have twists and turns in narratives spoiled by other fans in your timeline/news stream).

Ones to watch

A couple of social networks to watch out for: Path is the first network I know that limits the number of friends to 50 – ensuring you only share the most personal and compelling content with the closest of your contacts. This could spark a trend for smaller, simpler networks focused around your close circle of friends and family rather than a huge online network of acquaintances. Pinterest (mentioned above) is growing amazingly, and offers a place for brands to organise and share specific ideas and images. Location based social services will grow in popularity but reduce in number as Facebook and Foursquare wrap up the UK market. Tumblr is nothing new – but through various updates and notable profiles it’s growing again at a rapid rate (900% growth in profiles in the last 12 months!). It might seem like interest is dwindling in Google+ since its launch, but growth is impressive across the world and in November it launched brand pages – it’ll be interesting to see if it can become a solid part of the social media spectrum in 2012. I certainly don’t think it’ll go the way of Google Wave.

Conversation optimisation

Search engines have been played by the SEO industry for decades now, but the onset of the social generation has changed the game significantly. In 2012, we’ll see the influence of social media mentions on search results increase further – especially as Google looks to increase the significance of Google+ further. SEO will have to evolve beyond link building to influencing social mentions – something PR agencies are much more adept at. The key for SEO-savvy PR campaigns then, will be to optimise conversations: how can a campaign not only inspire mentions, but mentions that include the right links from the most influential people alongside the right keywords? It’ll be interesting to see…

The beginning of the end for dedicated social media agencies

I’ve mentioned here before that although many social media agencies do fantastic work, integrated agencies with a grasp of traditional media tactics as well as social media nous will always provide better value for brands and 2012 will see the rising number of social media agencies plateau, ready for a big drop off. Dedicated social media agencies exist in a sub-industry that was desperately needed when PR and advertising agencies were slow to react to the changing media landscape, but in reality it’s a category that has no future. We’ll see more big ideas that stretch across the entire media spectrum, conceived and managed by one integrated agency alongside brand teams in 2012 and fewer campaigns coordinated purely through social media or with a separate agency designated purely to online management. It’s a controversial viewpoint I know, but in my opinion dedicated social media agencies focused on creating and managing online-only campaigns shouldn’t exist.

The big idea is back

The social web is already where we find most of our news – Facebook is only rivalled by Google as the biggest traffic source for news sites. As such, visibility online is more likely to come from big ideas reaching big audiences, rather than relying so much on search terms and the study of search algorithms. 2012 will be the year of the big idea, as creativity is the only tool to give news an inherent ’shareability’ (that’s a horrible word, sorry!) online. Hopefully it’s the first year in a creativity revolution that will see brands becoming braver and more innovative in order to raise their profile amongst social media audiences.

Why? Well, maybe it’s pressure from development community campaigns. Maybe it’s constantly evolving threats which emerge from exploits in browser and operating system technology; something for which Internet Explorer 6.0 is ubiquitous. Or maybe it’s just because their latest version, Internet Explorer 9.0, has finally passed the ACID test.

All we know is we want to run into the street and embrace each and every man, woman and child at the gravitas of this news. Not only will our lives as developers become a lot easier, but we can now extend a rich, interactive experience to more.

(via BBC News)

*IE9 is actually a pretty good browser!

Manifest have a football team and we’re TOO HOT TO HANDLE. Well, we’ve won three games from three to date, which is, without doubt, Wednesday Powerleague Business League Division Two championship form. Can we build on our early success? Can we gain the promotion that our potential suggests is well within our grasp?

There is only one way to find out!

That’s right, given Sky Sport’s baffling decision NOT to televise the Wednesday Business League Division Two matches this season (s’all politics, you know?), you will instead have to make to with Richard’s detailed weekly match reports. Now, you might feel that his status as a team member of said football team might make the reports somewhat biased. However, you will be please to hear that his reporting will be objective, reasoned and subjected to the highest standards of intellectual, journalistic rigour when describing encounters between the glorious, fluid football stylings of Manifest FC and the whichever team of cheats we are playing from week to week.

Visit our tumblr to find what’s been going on so far, and keep up to date with our results!

We love Spotify playlists in the Manifest offices, so much so that we’ve decided to set ourselves a little challenge to create topical (but also foot-tappingly awesome) weekly playlists.

This week’s theme is (obviously) Halloween. Currently, the playlist is empty as we all rack our brains for tunes. This is where you come in. Send us your suggestions via the blog, facebook page or tweet us using #manifestunes and we’ll add them to the list.

We’ll then publish the playlist this Friday for you aural pleasure.

Last month the northern office waved goodbye to Huddersfield and said hello to the brand spanking new Leeds office, located right next to the Leeds Liverpool canal.

After 6 years at New North Road, things were starting to get a little cramped, so we upped sticks, packed crates and made a hop, skip and jump down the M62 to Graingers Way (conveniently located right next to a well known wine merchants – score!).

It didn’t take us long to ‘Manifest’ the place up, either, check out the rest of the office after the jump.

Shuffling along the wall like a sweaty crab, I somehow managed to coax my reluctant limbs into a wide variety of lunges – all of which felt rather more strenuous than I expected. However, considering that my normal stretching ‘routine’ consists of wiggling my arms and legs around for ten seconds, the intensity of a proper warm down in the company of a qualified fitness professional shouldn’t have really surprised me. In a similar way, the strange feeling of health that I had in the immediate hours following suggested that this was not you average taster sesh in a gym.

In fact, this gym was part of the Premier Training International Academy, and the slightly surreal experience recounted above was a small slice of the two days that Amy and I spent learning the ways of a market-leading client.

But what do Premier do, I hear you cry? Well, put simply (probably too simply), it trains fitness professionals and those wanting to start a career in the health and fitness industry, offering a staggering breadth of courses ranging from the regular gym instruction, to specialised qualifications designed to support special populations and specific issues such as back pain and diabetes. Essentially, if you want to get into the health and fitness industry (and many do) Premier offer some of the most respected qualifications around.

On our first day in London – having arrived in somewhat inappropriate office attire – we met Academy Manager Simon Rhodes-Chamberlin, who handed us our jam-packed itinerary for the next few days. First up was a chance to shadow a qualified PT tutor as he observed the practical assessments in gym instruction; each student having to take a ‘client’ through a range of exercises and equipment.

Then it was time to wear shorts.

Limbering up in a way that I hoped looked vaguely like I knew what I was doing, I was introduced to Ciaran. Formally a community football coach in Tottenham, Ciaran was clearly a man with passion and patience. He talked me through every exercise, tailoring the session to fit my level of (un)fitness. Not only that, he managed to refrain from mentioning the fact that within 20 minutes I was wheezing like a 90 year-old asthmatic, which really must have been quite off-putting. For the record, I’m 24 and not an asthmatic.

Day two would see us step into the shoes of a student taking a Premier course. We were to be part of a Level 3 Advanced Personal Training class to be taught by experienced Lecturer Marlon Wasniewski. Not only is Marlon a council member for the Register of Exercise Professionals (REPs) with 18 years of industry experience, but he is also a member of the Professional Karate Association. In other words, he is the real deal!

Initially, it felt like going back to school: sitting in a classroom (albeit somewhat jazzier than those that I remember being taught in) while 20 or so lively students sauntered in with backpacks and work files. I quickly realised that the assessment was a mistake. For a start, everyone looked absurdly fit, toned and healthy, while the age range of the students varied from those straight from school to those in the midst of career change. When the lesson began there was to be no slumped shoulders and glazed eyes, but rather the rather fiery focus of a group fully engaged with the tutor, Marlon, and the subject matter. There was a palpable sense of new careers being forged, with each student aware that every scrap of knowledge could help them reach their goals. Not a peashooter in sight.

Marlon talked the class through a range of aspects of the course, from the biological science that is the basis of successful fitness training, to the importance of establishing an understanding and rapport with the client. Perhaps most surprisingly, and an indication of the subject depth of Premier’s courses, Marlon encouraged the class to consider the business requirements of the industry – particularly for those students who intend to become self-employed upon qualification.

Seriously impressed, and with my ripe gym kit safely quarantined in a plastic bag, Amy and I left the Finsbury Park Academy. The purpose of the two days was to get a genuine sense of how our client operates, and my aching muscled told me that we had managed precisely that!

We’ve all been there; you’re just taking a gentle stroll down the shops on an overcast Saturday morning when a troupe of fully costumed flamenco dancers suddenly burst into synchronised song and dance.  No?  Well, if you happened to be in Leeds city centre a few weekends ago, you may well have experienced exactly that. Hot on the heels of the Windsor event (see below) the La Tasca Flamenco Flashmob struck Leeds.

As a means to publicise the new concept/menu of the La Tasca restaurant in Leeds, Manifest organised a crack team of Flamenco dancers to storm three locations across the city with handclaps, foot-stomps and olés.  Over an energetic hour, Millennium Square, The Light complex and Briggate were all subject to quick-fire, spontaneous Spanish dance.

Of course, for us, the first job was rounding up the flamenco dancers at the train station (a troupe of 20 having hotfooted up from London that morning).  However, as you might imagine, this was not a particularly difficult task. When we arrived a quick scan of the station concourse revealed a rather conspicuous gathering outside WH Smith, decked out in elaborately frilly, claret-hued Spanish outfits. Bingo! With everyone present and correct, we moved the dancers on to La Tasca for final costume adjustments and an enervating Sagafredo coffee.

Primed and ready, the flamencos gathered for a pre-flashmob impromptu dance in front of the restaurant, spilling out on to Greek Street. As well as providing a great photo opportunity, this rapidly drew the attention of passers by, and, unbeknownst either to us or the dancers, a nifty mobile video taken from the flats opposite. A good start!

Millennium Square was the first port of call, and as the mustachioed guitarist began strumming, the dancers leapt into action, stomping through two choreographed routines. It caused quite a stir where, just moments before, there was but a sleepy square.

Next up was the indoor shopping and restaurant complex The Light, offering a different and slightly more complex challenge in terms of co-ordinating the dancing.

We decided to have the troupe dance their way in through the double doors. This approach drew maximum attention, as shoppers stopped in their tracks to watch the scene unfold before their eyes. Unfortunately, some of that attention belonged to the two burly security guards. We had forgotten that flamenco to a security guard is akin to waving a red rag at a bull. It makes them ANGRY. Unsurprisingly, the dancing at The Light was somewhat short lived.

So we moved on to the piece de résistance, a glorious Briggate heaving with shoppers.  For non Yorkshire-ites I should explain that Briggate is the main shopping street in Leeds, and on a Saturday afternoon there’s barely room to swing a cat. Having picked a position that was far enough down the street to be out of megaphone range of the evangelists (phew), but not so far as to stray into prime busking territory, we launched the final flamenco attack.  As the dancers danced, a handsome crowd gathered, and the La Tasca staff were able to weave amidst the throng, handing out new menus and explaining the re-launch of the new concept restaurant.

A further ten minutes later it was clear Briggate had been conquered. The dancers were still going strong (no mean feat) and things were about to get interactive. It started when a dancer invited one of the watching children to dance, and before long a dozen or so onlookers had joined in, prompting all of us at Manifest to do the same. It wasn’t planned, but then I guess that’s the point.

In June 2010 the iPhone 4 was released, a fresh and different device from the technology BFG. At Regent Street alone we had queues outside the store for days and the daily takings were unbelievable. Personally, I tried to be blasé and said that I didn’t want one. I was locked into a contract and when it was up four months later, I decided that it would be foolish to sign another contract when the iPhone 5 could be announced shortly. So I waited. And I waited some more. A full year went past and nothing had been mentioned. Now, a full 12 months since I decided to wait, the announcement came and so did the groans from the public.

The first thing to note is that the 4S is not an unusual move from Apple. Yes it’s delayed by a few months – for good reasons; Steve Jobs unfortunate resignation for one – but it does follow the pattern Apple has set with their small devices.

After the announcement of the iPhone 3G in June 2008, the iPhone 3GS was its successor in June 2009. The 3GS boasted faster speeds, a higher resolution camera with video capability and voice control. Though not ground breaking, it was received well with all 3G owners coveting this slightly advanced piece of kit. So what makes the 4S so disappointing?

The iPhone 4S has some major upgrades that are being overlooked due to the expectations of a complete overhaul:

- A5 processor (same as iPad2) and an improved graphics card.
- Two antennas – fixing the antenna issues which, in my experience as a technician, was overhyped.
- 30% sharper camera capable of HD 1080p video.
- Siri voice control – I’m sure we’ve all heard the jokes.

In black and white, it’s quite an impressive upgrade. It’s akin to the improvements we often see in the Macs and just because we don’t see a visual representation of change doesn’t mean you won’t notice the difference.

However, I will openly admit I am still a little disappointed and this is mainly due to the media. The speculation of a thinner, curvier, faster iPhone 5 made me feel like my time spent yearning and paying through the nose for a contract I can’t justify seem worthwhile. These reports also conjure up a sense of fear that after purchasing an iPhone 4S, my superior technology victory will be snatched away from me when Apple announces the iPhone 5 in less than a year (as we saw with the iPad 2). It is naive to think that Apple haven’t been working on the iPhone 5 since the launch of the iPhone 4, if not before, but with this tardy launch and accessories production seemingly in full swing, is my feeling of apprehension really unjust or am I becoming spoiled?

Either way, I am in no doubt that come Friday 14th October, Apple stores around the world will have hundreds of people queuing outside to get their hands on a new, but not so original, iPhone 4S… and I’ll more than likely be along side them.

Manifest is not like other PR agencies. We’re shaking the dust from the PR industry and we need a PR and social media account manager to join the revolution.

Not just any account manager, though. We need someone who is looking for something different to the big, slow-moving agencies. Someone who is a media junkie, who has creativity in their bones and who is willing to break the mould in order to achieve something remarkable. We need someone who is passionate about the work they do and the success of their clients. Oh, and you need to make a decent brew too.

Joining our award-winning London PR team, you’ll be pivotal in delivering genuinely groundbreaking campaigns for a portfolio of clients that range from consumer technology to craft beer, innovating both online and offline to achieve amazing results.

So send us your CV to iwouldliketowork@manifestlondon.co.uk and one main reason why we should have a chat. No ‘gurus’, no luvvie-darlings and no agencies please – just those people who think differently.

Interested? Then you might be wondering what it’s like working at Manifest. Here are some clues…