Muckle Media launches Aberdeen office, COP26 practice and design studio
Jen McIlroy

Muckle Media launches Aberdeen office, COP26 practice and design studio

Muckle Media launches Aberdeen office, COP26 practice and design studio

Thursday 14th October: Muckle Media, the creative communications agency, has opened its first office in Aberdeen. Based at neospace, the North East of Scotland office will be jointly led by newly recruited PR specialist and senior account manager, Jess Murphy and studio manager and designer, Claire Emslie.

Jess and Claire will work closely with Muckle Media’s wider Scottish management team to grow the agency’s client base in Aberdeen. Alongside launching into a new city, Muckle Media is also launching two new offerings, with the creation of a design studio led by Claire Emslie and a new practice dedicated to COP26 communications in the run up and following COP26 in Glasgow.

Jess Murphy joins the agency from her recent role as PR and communications manager at Aberdeen Inspired, the city centre business improvement district (BID), prior to this Jess worked in various PR agencies and also as a reporter at the Press & Journal.

Claire Emslie joins the agency from being a self-employed creative running her own online design business. Prior to this Claire worked as a communications coordinator for drilling and engineering contractor KCA DEUTAG.

The new Aberdeen office will complement Muckle Media’s other offices in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness, which serve public, private and third sector brands in the UK and overseas with creative PR services.

Jess sees a great opportunity for Muckle Media in the Granite City as the North East economy bounces back, she said: “I am delighted to be joining Muckle Media during a hugely exciting period of growth. I’ve been following the company for a number of years and admired their creative campaigns, ambition and team ethos.

“As the North East continues to work through the recovery phase, promoting your business and its offering in the right way has never been more important and Muckle is well placed to deliver that. It’s a brilliant time to join the team and I’m looking forward to helping build up the Aberdeen base.”

Claire is excited by the prospects of continuing to build out Muckle Media’s capacities as a full-service communications agency with a design offering. She added:

“I am looking forward to being part of this significant growth period for Muckle Media as it expands into Aberdeen. I believe clear communications, supported by strong visual elements helps organisations stand out and reach their potential, so I’m thrilled to take on the challenge of launching a new design offering, and developing the studio to build out the capacities in this area.”

The new office has already opened and Muckle Media is actively recruiting additional communications specialist colleagues in Aberdeen and across wider Scotland. To find out more visit www.mucklemedia.co.uk. The COP26 team can be contacted at cop26@mucklemedia.co.uk

Greensheen or environmental heroism?
Jen McIlroy

Greensheen or environmental heroism?

With watchdog organisations and individuals ready to call out brands for greenwashing, how certain can we be that what brands are conveying to the public is a true representation?

It is the responsibility of a communications professional and the brand to work together and make sure interaction with the public is done honestly and ethically. Before we could even fully understand what PR was, we knew it was our job to communicate the truth or in some instances, know when not to say anything at all.

It calls into question if the language we use around environmental sustainability should be more closely regulated. No governing body has the capacity or financial backing to monitor or interject the issue of greenwashing on the scale of which it is happening. A recent report by the Changing Markets Foundation found that 60% of sustainability claims by fashion giants were in fact instances of greenwashing (https://www.edie.net/news/7/Report–60–of-sustainability-claims-by-fashion-giants-are-greenwashing/).

Unfortunately, as greenwashing isn’t necessarily lying, not much can be done to stop it. Though, public exposition and mass boycott is often used to discourage others from doing it. An example Scottish climate activist, Laura young (@LessWasteLaura), offered to explain how greenwashing can work, al be it a bit extreme, is that fossil fuels are technically a natural product harvested from the very earth itself, so what’s to stop oil companies from selling their product as *Natural!?* *cue picture of an oil drum surrounded by green leaves*. Well for one, there must have been a clever individual who came up with the idea for the messaging in the first place, and two, a full comms team working hard to sell that messaging to the public.

Communications professionals have the privilege of being a barricade, a gateway that can either allow or prevent messages from going out into the world. We have the ability to prevent clients from deceiving the public through our choice of language.

The longer companies get away with greenwashing, the longer we postpone actual change being made. Organisations will continue to be destructive if they aren’t held accountable and consumers will continue to buy non-sustainable products and services if they don’t know any better.

It’s therefore our responsibility to ensure we have an in-depth understanding of our clients, who they are and what they do. Not to be mistaken for who they say they are and what they say they do.

It’s our role to unpick the language clients are feeding us and get to the bottom of the real meaning behind the words.

Natural, organic, eco-friendly, green (that’s a personal favourite).
From suggestive pictures with no meaning behind them *exhibit a – H&M ‘Conscious collection’* to companies with one sustainable product at the face of their dirty operation. This is all within the realms of communications and all completely avoidable if we choose to question the message we are portraying and ultimately stop anything misleading from leaving the drafts. For further troublesome green-sheen tactics, please refer to Green Impacts 10 signs of Greenwashing: https://www.greenimpact.com/tips/environmental-marketing-greenwashing-tips-for-staying-out-of-trouble/

If we truly want to turn things around and begin to reduce self-destruction inflicted on our planet, then it is up to us, the comms professionals to work alongside clients to eliminate forms of greenwashing. . Ultimately, making a positive impact on the environment comes down to influencing behaviour change, so there is a role for comms professionals to play here in making that happen.

Post-pandemic social media: what’s changed?
Jen McIlroy

Post-pandemic social media: what’s changed?

If you, like us here at Muckle Media, have started thinking about your social media strategy for the year ahead, it’s as important as ever to keep up with the latest trends. From new features to constantly evolving algorithms, there is no doubt that social media remains one of the most valuable channels for brands to reach, convert and communicate with customers.

It’s also no surprise that this year has seen unprecedented change in our use of social media. Remember the days before TikTok? Since its release in 2018, the game-changing app has been downloaded over 2 billion times globally with more than 100 million active users. Throughout lockdown, users threw themselves into viral challenges and short-form video content.

TikTok @doggface208

Brands are also seeing the benefits of the platform. After Doggface’s skateboarding, Fleetwood Mac and cran-raspberry juice video went viral, Ocean Spray gained brand interest worldwide with users looking to recreate the video clearing shelves of their classic juice. Inspired by the video, Ocean Spray’s chief exec jumped on his own skateboard to record his version, with the company even surprising Nathan Apodaca (aka Doggface) with a shiny new truck. In cranberry red, of course.

It’s clear that during lockdown social media became more than simply an entertainment outlet. It was a way to communicate with loved ones, a vital news outlet and most importantly, built a virtual sense of community. Now as we settle back into post-pandemic life, what is next for social media? We explore our top predictions below.

Keeping it real
Gone are the days of showing your #bestlife on social media. Throughout the pandemic, household brands took the opportunity to reveal the behind-the-scenes of their business, lockdown struggles included. We were introduced to team members and given the opportunity to listen to Instagram Q&A sessions with founders as brands injected a sense of ‘human’ into their online presence.

Lockdown also saw the rise of the #filterdrop, as users took to social media to normalise real life skin, homes and mental health.

Instagram @sashapallari

Post-pandemic, it’s important that brands maintain this meaningful connection with their followers, and don’t switch straight back into previous strategies. The less polished, real-life side of social media is here to stay and we’re all for it.


Shopping
Social media has also emerged as a shopping platform, in particular Instagram Shopping as part of Facebook’s pivot toward e-commerce. Shops is now featured front and center on the app’s navigation bar and earlier this month Instagram ran their 10+ Days of Live Shopping, with brands like Peloton® and celebs such as Selena Gomez, Lil Yachty and Olivia Palermo all taking part.

Adding a customisable digital storefront to your brand has numerous advantages, including easy product discoverability, visual marketing and a shorter buyer journey.

Short-form video
The final trend that we don’t see going anywhere fast is video. Along with being a powerful content medium for storytelling, it also has the potential to build and maintain deeper relationships with your target audience.

And the best thing? These days you don’t have to be a professional to share video content on your social channels! From (relevant) TikTok dances to a behind the scenes tour of your office, video can give customers a glimpse into your brand and its personality.

Not sure where to start with video content? There are 500 million daily active users of Instagram Stories, and they are a quick and easy way to engage with your followers in short 15-second videos.

Social media has changed post-pandemic, with a number of new trends and it’s vital you keep up to ensure you are creating engaging content that resonates with your followers. To find out more about how we can help click here.

My traineeship with Muckle Media
Jen McIlroy

My traineeship with Muckle Media

Written by James Maule – Trainee PR Account Executive, 2021

Today marks the last day of my six-month traineeship at Muckle Media. Back in March I joined Muckle, fresh out of university with a Sociology degree. I was new to the PR industry and ready to learn.

Prior to joining Muckle, my understanding of what PR was more around the media relations side of reputation management, but I’ve learnt it goes far beyond that. My time at Muckle has taught me that PR strategies can cover a number of channels depending on client objectives, devising plan to deliver results, whether it’s through media relations, social media campaigns or creative executions.

Through the traineeship I was able to gain insight and understand the core foundations to PR, and I absolutely loved it. Copywriting, drafting social media content, research, liaising with clients, compiling media lists, engaging with journalists and most importantly, gaining coverage. Gaining positive coverage was a priority for a lot of clients, so a good deal of time was spent selling-in to media outlets and sourcing journalists who would take interest in stories. So, a lot of variety in a typical week of my
traineeship!

I was also involved in managing our in-house social media, consistently creating content covering topics such as case studies, client news, new business, agency news and the campaigns we delivered for our clients. I was responsible for drafting copy and creating graphics and sourcing imagery, and at Muckle we always had something to say or share!

Throughout my traineeship, I have been privileged to work on some fascinating projects and amazing clients, including The Hebridean Baker and Edinburgh Napier’s graduation. Now, with my time at Muckle coming to an end, it feels that it has passed all too quickly. Muckle has helped me to thrive, both professionally and as an individual, and I will be forever appreciative of that fact.

Having spent the past six months furthering my understanding of what PR is and refining my skillsets, I am ready to start my career!

Is cancel culture a threat to free speech or a force for change?
Jen McIlroy

Is cancel culture a threat to free speech or a force for change?

As digital platforms continue to grow in strength, we’re seeing more online vigilantes coming out of the woodwork to get justice on what they deem as unacceptable. In short, cancel culture is withdrawing support for a person or company based on their views and actions. It goes without saying that some cancellations can be easily justified due to the nature of it being so abhorrently wrong or even illegal in comparison to a targeted cancellation on an individual or brand for a minor mistake made years ago.

However, with cancellations on the rise it has many people questioning whether it’s mob mentality or freedom of speech for the everyday person. Does trolling years back on someone’s Twitter for a mishap really give us a clear indication of what they’re like as a person, or were they just more unfiltered, or have less of an understanding, back then?

From digital detox to teary eyed apology videos, there is a fine line where people can either make a comeback or never recover. We see celebrity cancellations spread like wildfire because as much as people like to see a star being born, they also like to see the downfall of celebrities as it cements their thoughts that they’re humans just like us.

Over the years it’s become apparent that certain celebrities can usually gain public forgiveness depending on the severity of what they have done. For example, Chrissy Teigen’s continuing slanderous tweets disgusted many but after some time off social media she gained back her followers and continued on with regular posting, but, it came at a cost as she lost key partnership deals with a number of brands.

On the extreme end, Kevin Spacey was shunned from Hollywood and cut out of the final season of House of Cards after sexual assault allegations surfaced, despite many years away from the big screen he is supposedly set to be making a return, but whether it’ll be a success remains to be seen.

Whether you agree or not with this new movement, it’s something we should all be paying close attention to as it continues to shape the landscape around us. Here are my five top tips to avoid being #cancelled;

  1. Review your social channels – make sure all your social platforms reflect the person or business you are today and align closely with your core values.
  2. Respond in a timely manner – you don’t want to respond too quickly as people may view your response as insincere. Instead, take your time to reflect on how you feel and how you would like the situation to be different.
  3. Be prepared – there’s no such thing as being over prepared in a crisis. Make sure your company has a clear channel of actions in the event something were to arise.
  4. Choose carefully – consider what you publicly pledge alliance to online. Is it something you’d like others to see?
  5. Don’t point the finger – remember the saying ‘don’t throw stones in glass houses’. Depending on the situation, it is usually best to understand both sides of arguments in heated situations

I believe people and brands can make a comeback after public backlash or being ‘culturally blocked’. It gives them a chance to show like everyone else they are real people who make real mistakes, however in this case it’s just so happened to be caught on a larger scale. It’s important we allow people and brands the opportunity to respond in a timely manner and educate viewers on how the incident occurred before making our final judgement.

To find out more on how we can help you deal with a crisis, visit here.

Training up during a lockdown
Jen McIlroy

Training up during a lockdown

Written by Jenna Maclean – Trainee PR Account Executive, 2021

Over the last five months, I’ve been a trainee account executive at Muckle Media, taking my first steps into the world of PR. Before seeing the job advertisement, PR wasn’t something I’d ever considered or really knew much about, but after reading the advert I recognised lots of key skills I had that could translate to PR and thought I’d apply.

Graduating in the summer of 2020 was not the best time to be entering the job market with a global pandemic going on, so I was thrilled to get back into full-time work when Muckle offered me the position. On my very first day, we released a story on behalf of philanthropy organisation The Hunter Foundation about Scotland’s economy and contacted leading politicians, which resulted in blanket media coverage and stakeholder engagement. Over the last few months, I’ve honed my skills by working across a variety of consumer, third sector, public sector and B2B accounts, from writing press releases for hotels to drafting interviews about aquaculture and pitching celebrity chefs for TV. 

After five months of being a trainee account executive, how would I describe PR? PR stands for public relations, and so we aim to help our clients interact with the public in more than one way, managing and building reputations. Each of them will have their own target audience and so it’s up to us to help them communicate their key messages and values with their respective audience. This could be in the form of advising on and creating social media content to drive interest and footfall to a new distillery or hotel, or it could be writing a thought leadership piece around building sustainable homes. We’re also on hand to advise our clients how to manage their reputation during a crisis or unexpected developments, or to try and launch a news story that gets covered and sparks media interest.  

What’s my favourite part of PR? Aside from my reputation as the queen of proofreading (no typo gets past me), I’ve absolutely loved exploring media relations. During my time in the job, I’ve been part of many media sell-ins and thrived on placing last minute stories and pitching long-lead features. 

My traineeship with Muckle is coming to an end as I head back to university to study for a Masters in Film and TV Production. Working in PR has helped me to further develop my transferable skills and has certainly given me a much better understanding of the media landscape that I’ll be able to apply to my course. I’m excited for what the future holds but am definitely going to miss my wonderful colleagues at Muckle! 

To find out more about Muckle Media’s traineeships please visit our careers page

Muckle Media launches new design studio
Jen McIlroy

Muckle Media launches new design studio

We are excited to announce the launch of our new design studio here at Muckle Media. Offering in-house design in addition to our PR services to support all our client needs.

Headed by our design manager Claire Emslie, our design studio will support the creative development of visual identities and messaging, helping our clients stand out. Alongside brand redevelopment, logo design and refinement, website development and the creation of advertising and marketing collateral.

By offering this accessible design service our aim is to support our clients grow their business. By investing in professional design it shows that your business values professionalism and sends a powerful message to potential clients or customers. You only have one chance to make a first impression and we believe using a professional designer helps make it as effective as possible.

The service is aimed at clients who are at the early stage of growth, providing access to professional design to guide them in the creation of standout identities and marketing materials. Combing this with our PR services to promote strong consistent visual and verbal messaging we believe is truly the key to success.

Our Design Manager Claire says, “I’m delighted to be leading this new service at Muckle Media, and I can’t wait to help more businesses realise the benefit of good design when promoting your business”.

Introducing our trainees
Jen McIlroy

Introducing our trainees

Having always been passionate about providing new opportunities in the PR, Marketing and Communications industry, we are very excited to have launched a new training programme. Amid a global pandemic, it’s been a difficult year for people starting their careers, so we decided to take action and help aspiring PR professionals to develop their skills and gain experience of working in the industry. In addition to our new senior hires, we have three Trainee Account Executives joining the team.

Jenna Maclean graduated in 2020 with a first-class honours degree in French and History from the University of Edinburgh. While at university she was actively involved with student television and theatre, producing a variety of content including short films, a Fringe production and award-winning online content. Through this she developed a particular interest in media relations and is very excited to continue her professional development at Muckle Media. Jenna loves travelling, having lived and worked abroad in France and gone solo backpacking in South America. In her free time, you can find her exploring Edinburgh’s coffee shops and attempting not to book another holiday.

Bobby Thomson recently graduated with a BA (Hons) degree in Media and Communications which has fuelled his passion for a career in PR. Bobby has worked on a number of PR campaigns during his time at college, most notably running the Scottish Student Journalism Awards 2018. Bobby spent three summers living in America at a summer camp from the ages 10-12 and is a proud dad to one Russian Dwarf hamster called Scamp, and two dogs named Ollie and Shadow.

James Maule graduated from Abertay University with a BSc Hons degree in Sociology. With him he has brought expertise and insight from years of experience in the realms of photography, service and retail. Now, he is ready to learn all that he can about PR. As an avid photographer and Munro bagger, you might find James in the hills with his camera on the weekends.

Jenna, Bobby and James will be fully integrated members of the team, helping on a variety of accounts and learning the ins and outs of the PR industry. We can’t wait to help them on their journey!

 

Muckle Media reaches for the sky with senior hires and new trainee programme
Jen McIlroy

Muckle Media reaches for the sky with senior hires and new trainee programme

25th May, Edinburgh – PR agency Muckle Media has seen its team double in size with hires across the board, from Account Director to trainee level. Following the new appointments, the agency has also gone through a brand refresh as it continues to expand its offering.

Account Director Chris Batchelor joins the agency’s consumer team from PrettyGreen after relocating from London where he worked on Three Mobile, Disney Theme Parks and Brooks Running.

Mhairi De Luca and Katy Hughes also join the consumer team as Account Directors, following Muckle Media’s successful Returners to Communications Programme, designed to help women who have had a career break return to the PR, Marketing and Comms industry.

Mhairi has over 13 years’ experience in PR, working across a number of consumer brands including tourism and whisky accounts. She led on Famous Grouse, managing PR, events and social. Katy is a senior marketing and communications professional with over 16 years of experience in the private and public sector, both within agency and in-house roles including Consumer PR Manager at VisitScotland.

Jacquelyn Whyte moves into a Head of Food PR role at Muckle Media, having initially joined the agency in 2020 as maternity cover for Linsay Brown, who has now returned to the agency from parental leave.

The success of the Returners to Communications Programme doesn’t stop there, with experienced designer Claire Emslie joining the team as Account Manager to head up the agency’s studio and design offering. Emma Ross also joins as Senior Account Executive, having worked in various in-house marketing roles with a focus on social media and digital marketing within the hospitality and beauty industries.

Muckle Media has also recruited three Trainee Account Executives – Jenna Maclean, Bobby Thomson and James Maule – to help aspiring PR professionals gain experience of working with Britain’s most exciting companies.

Nathalie Agnew, Muckle Media’s founder, comments: “We are extremely proud of how we have navigated through the last year, and as we see the agency continue to grow we will always invest in bringing the best talent into the agency to ensure we can consistently deliver for our clients. Our Returners to Communications programme was a great success – not only did every returner who took part in the ten-week programme mark an increase in their confidence in the industry, but we have kept four of our returners on who showed they were the perfect fit to help us deliver outstanding work.

We also want to help nurture the industry’s future talent, which is why we are delighted to bring in three new trainees. This year has been particularly difficult for those looking to start their career, so we want to do all we can to show our support as well as offer a training programme to give our trainees the skills needed to succeed.”

On top of the new hires, Muckle Media has also gone through a brand refresh with an update to its branding to Bright Ideas. Realised. Recent client wins include Thistles Shopping Centre in Stirling and Cheeky Monsters toys.

To find out more, visit our team page now.

Going beyond the visual
Jen McIlroy

Going beyond the visual

An intro into creating a brand identity

Most people understand the concept of branding, they know that it’s the thing that makes companies recognisable. You might recognise the link between successful businesses and strong branding. But how many people see the role of branding going beyond the visual, going beyond the logo or website and instead the brand being at the very heart of the organisation?  

That’s not to say that creating a visual identity isn’t important, it is. Creating a consistent look and feel so that your audience can easily recognise you is vital.  This includes the business card you hand out to your website and even (when we can return to) the company office.  These touch points should all look and feel consistent.  Think of it like creating layers, building your brand and adding to it with each layer that your audience encounters.

But your brand doesn’t stop with your visual identity.  At the very core of it is understanding who you are, what the business is and its values. If you don’t understand this, no one else will either.

Customers are savvy to the glossy sales pitch, it’s no longer about charm or spin. In fact, it’s not about selling your services at all it’s about telling your story. What truly connects you to your audience is your personality.

By connecting with your audience emotively, through shared values and beliefs, you can encourage loyalty. It’s this customer loyalty which leads to brand advocacy and in an increasingly overcrowded digital world it is this connection, the creation of brand advocates that will help amplify your message and ultimately elevate your business.

Knowing who are and your value proposition and being able to communicate this with your audience is truly what it means to take your brand beyond the visual.

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