Asda to create 7,500 new jobs

In an age where more and more people are finding themselves without a job, the news that Asda are creating 7,500 new vacancies is very positive PR.

The supermarket chain is to open lots of new stores, where over half these vacancies will be available.

In fact, it seems that this is a very popular time for supermarkets to be opening – with the new Sainsburys in Newcastle, the new Tesco in Hanley and the new Sainsburys in Biddulph (a Facebook group has even been launched to chart the redevelopment of Biddulph due to the Sainsburys).

3,500 people are required for the new Asda stores, 2,400 to work on the home shopping service (something that is becoming increasingly popular and convenient) and 100 in new pharmacies.

Asda will also recruit 1,500 staff at Netto stores, which they bought in May – showing just how popular these international shops are. Netto have even created a page on their website where users can submit details of any available land where a new store can be built.

Also popular at this time of year are the egg-nog lattes that Starbucks bring out at Christmas Time. Selling a seasonal product seems to work a treat, with a lot of coffee shops selling out and lots of people wanting one. I think it’s a great idea and something that other small businesses should think of doing. Think of a way to make your products Christmassy and it may just pay off.

Justin Bieber sells products exclusively through Walmart and Twitter start putting adverts into timelines

Following our blog surrounding the mad rush for Take That tour tickets on Friday, it seems that the same thing is happening today for tickets to see concerts by the Foo Fighters. It seems that there is always a mad rush and a tendency for people to rant their frustrations about being unable to obtain tickets, from websites like See and Ticketmaster, on Twitter.

Google Analytics failed to show data yesterday for the first time ever, leaving many marketers and PR firms without any idea of how many hits their website has received, which can be vital market research.

Other technology news is that Twitter has started to swarm its website with advertising. Obviously the bigger and more popular the website becomes the more likely it is to be a massive target for the biggest companies to target.

We have been known to use Twitter to advertise on behalf of our clients, but obviously just by tweeting and blogging about the most talked about topics. Whereas large companies can already pay to have their product Featured in the trending topics list.

Now though, Twitter has begun placing advertising into individual users’ Twitter streams for companies such as Virgin, Starbucks and Red Bull.

Users will be targeted based on the kinds of people and products they already follow. So, not all users will see them. For example, someone who follows coffee companies or who follows people who write about coffee would be a target candidate for a Starbucks.

The company will start by showing the paid tweets only to people who use HootSuite.

In other news, Walmart is increasingly creating and selling Justin Bieber products, especially now Christmas is approaching, including exclusive lines of nail polish and a fragrance designed or inspired by the 16 year old Canadian singer and Twitter phenomenon.

Mr Bieber has developed an almost entirely exclusive relationship with the earth’s biggest retailer, though Walmart declined to comment on just how extensive the partnership may yet become.

Justin recently told his 5.6 million followers on Twitter, where he ranks Number 5, just behind Barack Obama and just ahead of Ellen DeGeneres, that his acoustic album will go on sale first at Walmart on November 22nd. That’s a day ahead of the general market release.

The PR gaffes just keep on coming…

Hello everyone and happy new year to all of you.

Well it’s been a great year already for PR gaffes. Snow has done its reputation no favours by making its presence felt over the past couple of weeks. And how many companies have shown how ill-prepared they are for a bit of the white stuff?

I won’t have a rant about snow though because the makers are unlikely to hire a PR man.

My favourite gaffes so far have come from the Government (didn’t they pride themselves on their presentation in the old days?) and the owners of Liverpool FC, who have shown between them how (not) to present a united front and how (not) to address your customers.

Let’s start at the top. Merely a few hours into the first working week, Labour MPs Geoff Hoon and Patricia Hewitt joined forces to try and force good old Gordon Brown out of his job. I think the voters are about to make a pretty good job of that without your help, thank you very much.

They claimed their efforts to set up  secret ballot of MPs on the party leadership was not an attempted coup. Of course not! How could a vote on the Prime Minister’s leadership but anything but a vote of confidence?

All they’ve achieved is to drive more voters away from the party, and show how little they care about what’s going on in the real world. They would much rather fight their internal battles.

Shouldn’t Labour’s PR machine be showing us why we should vote for them at the moment?

So after that shining example of how to run a political party in election year, we turn to a classic demonstration of how a company should address its customers.

The relationship of Liverpool FC’s American directors, George Gillett and Tom Hicks, with the club’s fans has never exactly been harmonious. In fact it’s so bad the fans would rather stick with a clueless manager!

But just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, Tom Hicks’ son (the imaginatively named Tom Hicks Jr) decided to launch a foul-mouthed rant in an email to a fan.

Now we don’t know what was in the original email, of course. Sender Stephen Horner has been described as ‘a fan with genuine concerns’ by his fellow supporters. Whilst that may be true, we have no idea how he expressed those concerns.

Whether he expressed them politely or not is not the issue though. For Tom Hicks Jr to launch into a tirade, and call Horner an ‘idiot’ and much worse, is unacceptable. Can you imagine a Starbucks or McDonald’s director abusing customers like that?

Liverpool’s directors need to appreciate there is no football club without its fans. Yes, football clubs are not like other businesses due to the loyal support they receive from their fans. But they are still businesses and fans are their customers.

Thankfully, Junior has done the decent thing and resigned, but the damage has been done and if it wasn’t irreparable before that incident, it certainly is now.

I’ll be back again next month with more gaffes.

In the meantime, make sure you tune in on Friday for our interview with Staffordshire entrepreneur Mo Chaudry, the man dubbed the Original Slumdog Millionaire after leaving humble surroundings in rural Pakistan and building a £40m fortune.

Have a great week everyone!