Punch

Claire MacDonald

Welcome to 2009!

I always find the start of a New Year a bit of a crazy time and, it seems 2009 at Punch is no different.

We have kicked off the year with a development plan and have a lot of exciting new ideas taking us into the first quarter of this year - looks like it's going to be a busy one for this PR company!

Pete Goold

We're starting the recruitment process again, having just won four new clients in the weeks before Christmas. I fully expect a slew of calls from recruiters immediately following this posting but if there are any candidates out there looking for either a junior or a senior role at a dynamic, fast growing agency in the Midlands, please drop me a line.

We have a couple of job specs from previous releases on the site here and here.

Katharine Parker

I received the following message from my friend last night "i cnt cum 2nite but cud mt u 4 a beer l8r this wk. ru free wed? " What on earth is that all about? Though text speak is faster to type, it is harder or even impossible to read. Now this may be due to the fact that I have hit my thirties and therefore no longer ‘down with the kids', or it could be that I am just an old fashioned girl at heart ridiculed for using the Queens English in my own personal texts (txts to those in the know!).

Due to the fact that my seven year old daughter is now the proud owner of a mobile (I know, I know but the peer pressure was unbearable!) I think that I need to start understanding that plz is please, cmin is coming to maintain any form of credibility with Chloe and her m8s (see what I did there!).

Claire MacDonald

One week to go and the fight is on - who will be Christmas number 1?

I'm not talking about music here - the number one spot at the front of my mind is the most prestigious and elusive top spot - as noted by Google.

As a team, Punch is pretty hot on search engine optimisation and as a result, have monopolised the number one position for a while.

We all agree that a PR Company has to stay in the online loop in order to be successful and topical and I think that our high placement is a pretty clear indication of how up to date our digital knowledge is!

Abbie Upton

There is a long running debate in the Punch office and in offices across the country with regards to background noise in the office.

I firmly believe that silence or a very quiet radio in the background is most conducive to concentration whereas Claire believes that blasting Take That out of the iPod speakers keeps her focused.

Unfortunately Claire was left in charge of the background music Friday afternoon and subjected the rest of us to Mistletoe and Wine by Cliff Richard... the iPod speakers are now safely hidden away where she can't find them!

Ben Leuty

We were instructed by CTEK, the leading global innovator and supplier of lead acid battery chargers, back in August to effectively re-launch the brand in the UK. As part of the campaign it was agreed that Punch would secure 20 pieces of coverage in the first six months.

However, Punch has once again exceeded expectations. Not only did we beat the target, we blew it out of the water and recently confirmed our 50^th piece of coverage...with weeks to spare. Today alone, we've confirmed three further articles!

Congratulations CTEKers (the CTEK team). Here's to the next 50.

Philip Keightley

Having just spent a week away in the middle east, I am finding it more difficult than normal this year to get myself in the Christmas spirit - it is odd seeing men dressed as Santa in the middle of the desert!

However, thanks to our work with Reality Digital, I am becoming increasingly Christmassy as each day passes. You see, I am predicting that this Christmas will represent some form of digital tipping point for families. Bear with me on this...

We have all witnessed the permeation of ever increasing digital video technology on numerous platforms from mobiles to cameras across an ever increasing age range. Furthermore, no longer is it just the preserve of the spotty youth; high quality digital video is available and being adopted by all the family. Combined with an equally rapid adoption of social networking sites for all the family (whose dad isn't on Facebook these days?), I'm predicting that a good number of family Christmases are going to be uploaded to social networking sites and available for all to see this year. And, unlike the ZX Spectrum 128k +2 I received for Christmas in 1987, there is more chance of today's technology working!

Pete Goold

Usually at this time of year (‘double digit December', as it's known in my house) it would be reasonable to assume that a PR company is starting to wind down for the festive break.

Not so at Punch this year.

We have just won two new clients and are ramping up to get documents prepared to pitch out over the Christmas period, when many agencies are traditionally quiet, and press are typically short of news - or at least, shorter than usual.

More news on the two latest client wins imminently - but for now, just to confirm that the Punch office will be closed from December 24th to 27th with skeleton staff on Dec 29th & 30th. We will return for the new year on Friday January 2nd.

Abbie Upton

Supermarket Sweep!

Punch client Bowmer & Kirkland has recently finished constructing the most eco-friendly supermarket in the United Kingdom on behalf of ASDA.

The building incorporates a multitude of innovative features and materials and nothing has been wasted with car park kerbs made from recycled carrier bags and the roof constructed from recycled tin foil! Following a busy day of pitching yesterday the Punch team has confirmed a number of pieces of press coverage in the retail trade press.

For more information on Bowmer & Kirkland please visit www.bandk.co.uk.

Claire MacDonald

A recent survey on movie inspiration site Boxwish has indicated that in these credit crunching times, shoppers want more for their money and would choose to spend £250.00 on five high street items compared with one splurge in a designer store.

A staggering 85.3% of respondants chose the high street over designer and I have to say I'm not surprised - the high street is so fast to copy designer styles now!

Boxwish is adding even more high street movie-style lookalikes to its fashion pages so I think it's time I bought myself a Christmas present...