January 16th, 2015
Ciao e Buona Notte – signing off after a packed week in PR
Jane Hunt, Catapult PR
This has been an exciting week and full of really diverse things and twists and turns. Italy has been a big focus. Things are bubbling along there with regard to the books and we can’t say too much about that, but it’s so wonderful to now have a client in Italy … in what sounds like an amazing place called Reggello.
This is the home base of Valoriani – a family whose business has been rooted in the rich clays of Tuscany for generations. Valoriani isn’t a new name here, as we originally found out about them over 10 years ago, when I used to attend BNI meetings in Preston and met a man named Andrew Manciocchi. Now, a decade later, we are promoting these wood-fired ovens again, but with the Italian end of the business very much in the mix.
This has been a classic case of me absorbing all the material that goes with this product and producing a branding plan that I think will really light up the UK consumer. I’ve written heaps of web copy this week, all maintaining the consistent voice that I believe underlines the optimum branding and what do you know … it’s not only been loved in the UK, but also in Italy. Everyone gets it, but there are a few more surprises up the sleeve yet, which leads me to another client.
This is a Cumbrian business with a female MD who is blazing a trail for women in her sector. I’ve suggested something to her this afternoon, which she really loves as a concept, so it’s all systems go with that one as well, which is, once again, very exciting.
I had hoped to be on the way to another fabulous development, but that hasn’t happened this afternoon, resulting in me sitting here tonight, filling my time with other branding proposals, full of PR implementation, for other clients.
Awards have been written this week, as well and we’ve started work on a 20th anniversary campaign for another project client. I’ve been helping our Leeds-based client with arrangements for a corporate conference, an Infographic and their award entry, not to mention getting our first article about haulage up and posted, as part of our content creation programme for them. This is a client who has quickly learned that they can get me at 10pm or 6.30am – funny how many committed individuals realise that and handle their PR outside of office hours!
A project client has gone into overdrive and planted a seed of wanting a branding campaign, so I’m hot on the trail of that one, not to mention some press releases in the short-term.
When you consider that three days have also been spent working remotely, it’s been some week, not exactly aided and abetted by pile-ups, breakdowns and snow on the M60 and M61 this week … well, who needs to sleep …? The need to man-up isn’t lost on me, however, and a pitch to a poor, unsuspecting individual is about to occur, as I need my Sundays back for the book business, not to mention the new, exciting book I’ve scamped out.
Next week will see me facing one of my biggest challenges on Tuesday and it’s something I’ve never done and not exactly ideal for someone in touch with their emotions, but I can’t not do it and life’s about that.
On that note, I need to take the plunge and book a trip to Bologna for March – with maybe a detour to our new Italian clients who love my web copy. It’s work, but it’s fun work and, with the developments in Italy this week it might just be the place to be at the end of March. If all else fails, there’s people-watching to be done just off the Piazza Nettuno, with an Aperol Spritz in hand and chatting to be done to the hotel’s lovely mini-bus driver with the nice smiley face. And now, on this second note, I need to subscribe to a new Italian audio-magazine that stumbled across me on Twitter today, as I feel fluency in Italian might just be required very very soon. Ciao e buona notte!
