Emma Bolton

The dreaded news has finally arrived, after many whispers and rumours, the restrictions that were due to be lifted on June 21st have been pushed back. Boris Johnson revealed in a news conference that there will be a delay in the next phase of England’s reopening on Monday, extending the Covid restrictions. The lockdown restrictions will be delayed by four weeks, from 21st June to 19th July. 

Recent figures delivered from Public Health England, reveal that 42,323 cases of the ‘Delta variant’ of the coronavirus that was first identified in India, have been confirmed across the U.K.. This is an increase of 240% from just last week.

Johnson has declared that the delay allows for more people to receive their second COVID-19 jab before all restrictions are due to end. It is expected that around two-thirds of adults will have been offered two doses of the vaccine by 19th July.

There has been a social media outcry of petitions and uproar surrounding the decision, with the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) providing figures that 700,000 jobs have been lost within the nightclub industry and that billions of pounds have also been lost in revenue. Michael Kill, NTIA CEO, has said, “Night time economy businesses have waited patiently for there opportunity to open for over 15 months, many have not survived, some are on a cliff edge, hundreds of thousands of jobs have been lost, a huge pool of talent has been swept away and left to suffer extreme financial hardship.”

Nightclubs aren’t the only events having taken a hit, with many festivals and live music events having also been canceled or postponed, disappointing festival-goers, organisers, artists and staff- costing tens of thousands of pounds in fees and lost income.

To hear more from Michael Kill on all things London Nightlife, make sure you sign up for the Hospitality Titans’ Breakfast with Champions: Breakfast with Champions – Hospitality Titans

Of course, it goes without saying that all eyes have been on the Euro 2020 Football Championship, with many sports fans holding their breath to be able to attend a full stadium. The postponed date will continue the limited capacity venues, with large outdoor venues capped at 10,000 or just 4,000 for smaller venues.

Tips to help you get through lockdown:

Get Outside!

With the summer days approaching, now is the perfect time to walk with your family, friends or pets. Attend outdoor events and keep your calendars full, keeping in line with the COVID social distancing restrictions, making memories and staying safe.

Support Local Businesses

By supporting a small business, you’re supporting a vital part of your local community that will keep businesses afloat and thriving, ready to continue back as normal once restrictions have been lifted.

Focus on the Facts

There is so much overwhelming information online surrounding the coronavirus, with many false facts or speculation spread across social media. Stay informed and keep updated by looking at the NHS or official Government guidance website.

In 2021, a cookie is so much more than a tasty treat enjoyed with a hot drink. But the digital world is changing, with pending updates set to shake up how cookies are tracked. We take a look into cookies, how they work in Marketing, and what the new updates mean for us.

What are Cookies?

In the digital world, a cookie is a tiny snippet of data that gets stored on the user’s browser. This data is about you and the way you use the internet and is used to customise your online experience. You will have noticed that almost every website will ask if you consent to the use of cookies when you first enter it.

There are lots of benefits of this for users. For example, not having to re-enter your personal information continually and websites remembering your user preferences.

Ever wondered why that pair of shoes you added to your shopping cart once now seems to pop up on every other website you visit? This is also down to cookies, as many companies use them as a key part of their digital marketing.

Cookies and Digital Marketing

Cookies allow organisations to collect a vast amount of data about internet users, this data then allows them to create more targeted marketing campaigns. They are able to filter their target audience based on variables such as:

• Age
• Location
• Gender
• Interests
• Behaviour on websites
• Behaviour on Search engines

One of the main uses for this information is Ad Retargeting.

This is when website creators have added a specific tracking code into a page on their website, for example, the checkout page. This data then allows them to show you a specific ad, relevant to you, that will appear on other websites when you browse the internet.

Cookies also allow marketers to monitor the success of their website. It allows them to track how users have found their website; Google search, social media, direct or other. It also allows them to see how long users spend on each area of the website and where they are losing visitors. If a user clicks on a page and then clicks straight back off, they know something is wrong. This is called the Bounce Rate.

This subject is huge, and we really have only scratched the surface here. If you would like to know more or would like to know how digital marketing can help your business, get in touch with a member of our team today.

Whilst all of this is great for marketers, not everyone likes having their internet activity tracked. This has led to many companies and organisations trying to find ways to limit it.

Let’s take a look at a few.

Gener8

You may have seen the recent Dragon’s Den pitch by Gener8 which is currently taking the internet by storm and was even called “the best pitch I have ever heard” by one of the Dragons.

Gener8 is a piece of software that users can download onto their device and it will allow them control over how cookies are stored. The system claims to ‘give power back’ to the user.

The software will allow you to do one of two things, turn cookies off completely, or be rewarded for the data that you agree to share.

‘In rewards mode Gener8 monetises your data on your behalf by tailoring the adverts that you see and by anonymising your data and using it for research. In return, you earn points which you can exchange for products, vouchers or donations to charity in our marketplace.’

Apple’s IOS 14 Update

Apple is making huge changes in order to protect user privacy. In the latest update, upon downloading any app, the user will be asked to opt in to allow cookies to be tracked. If the user says no, the app creators will not receive any data from that user.

This will be a big change for many marketers with large amounts of data coming from mobile apps such as Facebook, as well as limiting the way in which they will be able to track the success of their own apps.

Google’s New Update

Trying to crack the Google algorithm is an impossible quest that many marketers are on. The next big update is set to really shake things up when it comes to third party tracking. In a nutshell – it won’t be allowed.

However, as we all know, Google makes a lot of money from advertising and what may look on the surface like a crackdown on tracking, may in fact be Google tightening its grips on the advertising industry.

Using a new system called FLoC, Google says users will be placed into target audience groups, and marketers will be able to target campaigns towards these groups or ‘Cohorts’ rather than individuals, thus increasing user personal privacy.

What does this mean for Marketers?

Digital Marketing is a fast and ever-changing world, so we are used to being kept on our toes. Now more than ever, marketers need to be willing to keep learning. The platforms we use daily are changing and we need to keep up to date in order to stay ahead.

None of these proposed updates will put a stop to what we do, they will just push us to do things in a new way. If we can’t track data from Apple Apps in the same way, then we need to change our systems to focus on website traffic and android users. Google’s update will mean that we will need to work a little harder to suss out the audiences we need to be focusing on.

User and customer privacy is important. We need people to love what we offer but feel safe whilst using it.

It’s important that we look at these changes with excitement and an enthusiasm to learn and adapt.

If you need help with any of this or are looking for assistance with your brand’s digital marketing, get in touch today.

This week, Clubhouse users have received a message informing them of the latest changes to the app. But what does it all mean?

What is Clubhouse?

Clubhouse lets you drop into different chat rooms and listen to conversations. It’s a bit like dropping into your favourite podcast or radio show, but this time you can also join in on the conversation (if the chat moderate allows this). Clubhouse hit the scenes just as the world was entering lockdown, so it created the perfect space to stay connected. Today, Clubhouse has over 10 Million active weekly users.

The conversations cannot be recorded, enabling people to speak more freely, without the worry that what they have said could be in the headlines the following day. This also gives an extra layer of exclusivity to anyone who has joined the chat room. To learn more about this, head to our previous article.

Who Uses It?

When it first launched, the App was frequented by A list celebs. Today, it is a platform that most CEOs and Entrepreneurs can be found on. It is a great space to grow your network and engage with like minded people.

Clubhouse is an invite-only app, with each user given a small number of invites to share with their contacts.

So, why do I have to pay?

Starting this week, all Clubhouse users are able to pay creators that hold talks or rooms on the app. Currently however, only a limited number of people are able to receive these payments, until further testing is carried out. At the moment, Clubhouse are saying that they will not take a cut from these payments and creators will receive 100% of the money.

To pay those creators who are able to receive payment, simply tap on their profile, then tap ‘Send Money’ and choose how much you want to send them. You will also need to pay a small transaction fee that goes to Clubhouse’s payment partner, Stripe.

Think of it as a virtual tip jar.

Last month Clubhouse announced their accelerator programme. Twenty creators will be selected and assisted by Clubhouse to grow and manage their audience.

These two new features have been introduced by Clubhouse in the hope of retaining their users and incentivising them to stay. With many platforms including Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn all now introducing similar features, Clubhouse knows that the competition is high.

Is this a smart move by Clubhouse?

Many would say yes. Influencers have to work incredibly hard to get paid on platforms like Instagram, often relying on brands for payment, in return for them showing off or talking about their products. Many creators have to take their audience away from the platform in order to monetise what they are doing.

This donation system is not dissimilar to platforms like OnlyFans, where users are able to gift creator’s additional money, on top of their subscription fee.

With Clubhouse currently not taking any money at all from this, it looks like a great idea.

However, I think everyone can agree that it is very unlikely to stop here. Clubhouse have already announced that this is the first of many new features and monetisation formats.

I don’t have an iPhone, when can I join?

Unfortunately not for another few months. Clubhouse is still only available on Apple platforms. An Android version is being developed, but for now; the FOMO continues for Android users.

We all know that marketing is a highly competitive industry. So, how do you stand out from the crowds? 

We have put together some of our top tips for getting into marketing, and staying there. 

Up Skill

There is an abundance of free courses available online. From Marketing and Digital marketing to PR and Copywriting, there are courses out there that cover it all. 

Marketing is such a broad industry and many job specs are looking for different skill sets. You can never have too much knowledge or too many skills. Always keep learning. 

If your main skill set is in PR, why not take a course in Google Ads and set yourself above the rest. If social media is your thing, make sure you are up to date on all of the latest platforms. 

Not sure where to start?

We recommend checking out Google Digital Garage and Hubspot as a great starting place.
For webinars, The Marketing Meetup and Girls in Marketing are always fantastic. 

Be willing to learn

Employers want to work with people who are keen to keep learning. Ask questions.

Make sure you are fully immersing yourself in the industry. Podcasts and webinars are a fantastic way to do this. 

Make connections

A huge part of marketing is reaching out to brands, venues and partners on behalf of your client. If you can turn up to a job with a handful of connections already in your back pocket, you are already setting yourself up as a valuable asset to an employer.

For those wanting to break into the PR world, having pre-existing relationships with journalists is a huge win. The best way to make a start on this is to hang out where journalists do – Twitter!

Find the gaps in the company 

No company is perfect. Any good company wants to grow and develop and is always keen for feedback on how it can do that. 

If you can go into a job or an interview and find ways you can fill the gaps in the company – whether that’s suggesting new software, new ways of working, areas they aren’t yet reaching into – you are instantly making yourself far more employable. 

Be brave and be bold, tell them how you can help them. Show them why they need to hire you.

Find a community

Over the last few years, online communities have grown hugely in popularity, fueled by social media and our need for interaction during lockdown. 

From Facebook groups to paid-for communities like Girls in Marketing and PR for the People, online platforms are a great way to connect with other like-minded marketers. Surrounding yourself with others in the industry also sets you in a great position for being the first to hear about job vacancies, which has very obvious benefits!

As well as job opportunities, these communities are a fantastic way to keep motivated and keep pushing to be the very best you can be. The Marketing Meetup has a weekly webinar with industry experts, the chat feature allows attendees to chat and connect, learning from each other as well as from the industry elite. 

Gain experience

Unfortunately, many people get trapped in the vicious cycle of needing experience to get a job and needing a job to get experience. So, how do you break this cycle?

Create your own work. Speak with local businesses in your area, do they want someone to give their social media a glow-up for free? What about some free press coverage for their upcoming event?

This experience will not only grow your CV, but it will grow your confidence and your skillset. 

Another way of gaining experience is to apply for internships. These allow you to learn while you work, usually giving you real experiences on client accounts. The Posh Cockney Future Star Programme takes on 8-10 budding marketers several times a year and mentors them as they gain hands-on experience in Marketing and PR. 

Say yes, then figure out how to do it 

Once you have that spot on an internship or even if you’ve landed a job – become friends with the term ‘yes, I’ll figure it out’.

There is no stupid question, except for those that Google can answer. If you are asked to do a task that you haven’t done before but feel like you could figure out – say yes!

Not only will this hugely increase your skills set, but it will begin to make you indispensable to the company. 

Don’t give up

There really is a job out there for everyone, you just have to wait for your time. Until then, keep learning, keep growing and keep making connections. 

We are delighted to be able to say that Posh Cockney has reached its second birthday. In a year where sadly, many businesses have not made it, we realise the achievement even more so.

To be able to say we are now in a situation where we have been getting stronger every month, particularly with the launch of Posh Cockney Productions, is testament to the hard work of the entire team. Pivoting into the lifestyle industry has also played a massive part in our growth and we are certainly stronger now than we were 12 months ago.

“If we cast back to March 2019 when the company was born, we were unsure of how successful we would be. But I had enormous faith that we could do something special and we have had a fantastic first two years. We have opened restaurants like Wahlburgers, Happy London and Bosporus to name a few and have five new projects in the F&B world to open this year. We have also helped to nurture brands like PURE Vodka and we are really excited for the future.” – Liam Norval Posh Cockney CEO

The Posh Cockney team is growing, and we have just launched our Future Star Programme, mentoring and working with talented young people. We hope to welcome some of them into the Posh Cockney family full-time at the end of their three-month internship.

With new talent and new clients in the pipeline and the Hospitality Industry preparing to bounce back, Posh Cockney HQ is busy, bustling and incredibly excited for whatever the next 12 months has in store for us.

“I would like to thank all of my clients and the team that have been with us from the start. We couldn’t have done any of this without you and we are super excited for the rest of 2021 and we have some even bigger projects lined up for 2022 that we can’t wait to share with you.”

Sadly, like most events this year, Covid won’t allow Posh Cockney the birthday party it deserves. But don’t worry, that just gives us longer to plan for the next one!

After months of planning, we can finally share our exciting news with you!

Posh Cockney have created a Future Star Programme to help young people gain on the job, real life work experience in PR and Marketing – an opportunity that the pandemic has hindered for many.

This opportunity will allow them to learn first-hand what it takes to work in the busy world of PR and Marketing – particularly as the hospitality sector begins to reopen, whilst being guided and supported by the Posh Cockney team. The Future Star’s will have a tailored, three-month plan allowing them to study, work on real accounts and ask all the questions they need to in a safe space.

“We decided as a team to give back and support people on a three-month crash course style internship. People can come and work with us for us three days a week and deal with real clients whilst getting great training and one to one mentorship from our team. They can meet people from within the lifestyle and hospitality industries and start building connections.”

“This is the first class of the future star programme and we have brought in nine unique and talented young people who we feel could be future stars within the marketing and PR world. We all know that most people learn best by doing, so as great as university is, there is no replacement for on the job learning.” – Liam Norval, Posh Cockney CEO

This is a great opportunity for anyone that wants to better themselves and an incredible steppingstone into future employment. All work is done remotely and around individual schedules.

After the three months, Posh Cockney will be looking to hire some of the interns, whilst helping others to find employment.

“We are really excited about this scheme as there seems to be a huge gap for young people today. It is often impossible to get experience if you don’t already have experience! We are excited to be able to give people opportunities where they can work hard, learn and gain future work with our guidance.” Liam added.

Want to meet our class of 2021? Click Here.

Always wanted a front-row seat at London fashion week? You’re in luck because this year, we are all invited.

After the huge success of last year’s semi-digital London Fashion Week, the event is back. This time, fully digital, with the support of Clearpay.

From Friday 19^th February (today!) until Tuesday 23^rd February, you can watch Global Designers show off their latest collections from the comfort of your own home.

This year, for the first time ever, both Menswear and Womenswear will be exhibited alongside each other in a gender-neutral show. There will also be a number of Podcasts, Webinars, Designer Showrooms and Collection Presentations available to all.

Josephine Jones, model and the first transgender designer at LFW, told Sky News:

“Clothing, to me, has always been about creativity and never boundaries… except breaking them, that is! Some of the chicest girls I know dress like boys anyway, and vice versa.”

Josephine, like many designers, is excited by the progression in London Fashion Week.

Usually, London Fashion Week would see 5,000 people flock to the capital, excited to take their seats at this world-renowned event. Whilst we can all agree that digital is no replacement for live events, this is a historic move for the fashion industry.

Head to, London Fashion Week’s Website to tune into the Live coverage.

Last summer, the Eat Out to Help out scheme was used 100 million times, but should it be brought back?

For many businesses, the scheme was a massive help. But for some, particularly in seaside towns where the summer months are already incredibly busy, it led to staff being hugely over worked. Police presence was required at one venue in Leicester when things got out of hand there.

There is also data to suggest that the Eat Out to Help Out scheme led to an increase in Covid cases and was a cause of the start of the second wave of the pandemic, with Boris Johnson agreeing with this in a press conference in October.

Frederick Szydlowski, Co-founder of Embargo and Hospitality Titan disagrees with this:

“The problem with the general perception of last year’s Eat Out Help Out Scheme comes mainly from the misleading data that the public is fed. Many assume that it has led to a major increase of cases. However, three weeks ago Rishi Sunak said that there is link between the EOHO Scheme to the spike of cases during Q4 2020. Looking at the actual data of where cases have been coming from, hospitality has clearly been one of the safest places to be. I strongly believe another similar scheme should definitely be considered as hospitality needs a significant boost and there is no doubt that venue operators have shown that they take safety measures extremely seriously.”

Deliveroo and hundreds of other restaurants have called for the scheme to be reintroduced, along with a number of other measures to help the hospitality industry to survive. These include an extension of the furlough scheme, a 5% vat reduction on food and prioritising hospitality staff for testing and vaccinations.

We spoke to Morris Greenberg, Hospitality Titan and Managing Director at CDG Leisure about this:

“In my view, the government needs to be focused on the process involved in getting the leisure industry reopened, whilst limiting redundancies, as much as possible, that will inevitably have to be made when furlough stops. This includes landlords taking premises back due to back rent owed causing liquidations and a surplus of empty premises coming back to market. So for me I would like to see more focus on policies extending the VAT reduction, extending the business rates holiday for another year and reintroducing the job retention grant. Perhaps some intervention between landlord and tenant negotiations once protection is lifted such as landlords to agree to a percentage of what is owed to be paid over a term. All of this will help the industry to reopen and then once reopened, whilst I am sure the resurgence of people going out will be quick, if it is felt the industry needs help in getting kickstarted policy’s like the Eat Out to Help Out scheme to be reintroduced. Although it will need to be amended in order to take into account the problems that occurred last time.”

What is the Eat Out to Help Out scheme?

Eat Out to Help Out gave diners 50% off their food bill (up to £20 per person) at participating restaurants from Monday – Wednesday. Thousands of restaurants across the country signed up.

Do we need an incentive to get back to pubs, bars and restaurants? Or will we all be eagerly waiting outside on the first day of re-opening, with or without a discount?

 Read more about the first Eat Out to Help Out Scheme here.

Fears are rising within the hospitality sector amongst speculation that pubs, bars, and restaurants may have to remain closed through much of the spring. And when they do finally open, the ‘rule of six’ and socially distancing restrictions will all be very much still in place.

There has been talk that restrictions won’t be eased until all over 50s have had their vaccination, which is expected to be around August time. And this is only for England, who seem to be ahead in terms of vaccination numbers at the moment, compared to other UK regions.

“This would be another nail in the coffin for the hospitality industry. For nearly a whole year, the entire UK hospitality industry has been decimated by rules and regulations. It will mean a graveyard for the hospitality industry once this pandemic is over unless change happens now. The Government needs to support with much more funding, and much more targeted funding to people that really need the help right now.”  

“Posh Cockney has several clients that are going through a lot of pain right now. They have had a year of turmoil and we have helped them through such times. But with the re-opening dates being pushed further and further back, we run the real risk of losing our beloved hospitality industry. “

– Liam Norval, CEO Posh Cockney.

Businesses are frustrated. They have repeatedly been forced to close, staff have been let go, bank balances have been run dry. All without clear guild lines or timelines for when these businesses can reopen.

The UK needs a summer full of Hospitality and Tourism to help the economy fight back. The continuous extension to restrictions is making that increasingly unlikely.

Over recent years, we have seen an increasing number of brands join forces and collaborate. But why would you team up with another brand, sometimes even a competitor?

Co-Marketing allows brands to increase their consumer reach. Two companies can share databases, social media reach and hopefully, customers. Collaboration can often be a fantastic way to create innovative new products that would have previously not been possible. It is also a great way to gain press coverage. Attention grabbing campaigns, unexpected team ups and exciting new products make great stories. This of course leads to increase coverage, links to your company and will almost certainly result in higher sales.

This could be as simple as including the leaflet of a brand in your product package and be as extreme as using another company’s branding on your products. We take a look at some of our favourite brand collaborations.

Uber and Spotify

These two, well-known brands, teamed up to create a more customisable taxi experience. Spotify Premium customers are able to link their account inside an Uber and be in control of the music from their Uber or Spotify app on their phone.

This allows Uber to offer users personalised music in a very simple way – no need to develop their own system. It also gives Spotify another reason for users to sign up for their service.

Sounds like an uber great idea to me! (sorry…)

McDonald’s and Burger king

Yes, two lifelong rivals did indeed team up (sort of) for a recent campaign. Although, many would argue that one brand came out on top.

In 2019, McDonald’s Argentina announced that for one day, they would donate all profits from the purchase of their Big Mac to the charity Children with Cancer. In response to this, Burger King launched ‘Day Without Whopper’. Not only did they remove The Whopper from their menu for the day, but they actively encouraged people to go and buy their burgers from their competitors, to raise more money for the charity.

Whilst Burger King may have lost some sales that day, they won their place in the hearts of many. Press coverage and social media noise were huge – PR success can be measured in more ways than immediate financial gain.

Cheetos and Forever 21

This is just one example of brands teaming up with clothing retailers, to create unique products. Collaborations like this turn customers into walking adverts for the brand, hugely increasing brand awareness, and create new and innovative products for the retailer.

BrewDog and Aldi

What began as a spat between two brands on Twitter, became a fantastic PR campaign. Shoppers had seen similarities between Aldi’s Anti-Establishment Beer and BrewDog’s Punk IPA, to which BrewDog responded by suggesting it would create ‘Yaldi IPA’.

To this, Aldi said, “We would have gone with ‘ALD IPA, send us a crate and we’ll talk…”.

So, BewDog did just that, and two months later, ALD IPA was stocked on the shelves in Aldi stores around the country.

This gained fantastic coverage on both social media and in the press. Both brands became a big talking point and sales increased as a result.

Cath Kidston

Cath Kidston has teamed up with many brands over recent years, allowing the iconic prints to be seen by unexpected consumers. Brands include Heinz, Slydes and most recently, the game Animal Crossing.

Each of these collaborations has gained great coverage. It isn’t every day you see a can of tomato soup featured in glossy magazines! Consumers love an exciting brand story, and collaborations like these create exactly that.

Posh Cockney are specialists in brand collaborations and would love to help you grow your brand today. Email liam.norval@poshcockney.co.uk and find out what we can do for you.

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