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6 - 'Glass Half Full' 'TV fame and a new client'
A former drinks PR's optimistic guide to life after redundancy
Length of national TV debut: one minute and 15 seconds
Signed contracts: one (hoorah!)
Favourite beer this week: The Reverend James from Cardiff brewer SA Brains (on tap in The Black Jug)
A WEEK that starts with a cameo appearance on national TV and ends with a signed contract from my first drinks client can't be all bad, can it?
It's hard to believe that I left my last job only eight weeks ago, so much has happened that it feels more like eight months.
Several of the things I swore I'd get done within a month of going it alone remain on my 'to do' list, but there have been so many others that I didn't predict would come along.
It's good being able to adapt and pursue new opportunities. That flexibility is something that we'll all have to offer if we're going to survive or even succeed in a difficult market.
Predictably, three hours of filming by the Newsnight crew were transformed into a one-minute clip of my 'credit crunch Christmas'.
Just as predictably, I failed to programme the DVD recorder to capture it. My father who, bless him, stayed up for his daughter's moment of fame, is proud but somewhat bemused by it all.
My eldest son, who had a brief speaking part in the feature, seems to have earned some respect from his mates. And I'm pleased that, as the camera zoomed in on my fingers flying across the keyboard, I finally got some pay back for those years of investment in fake nails, kindly provided by The Nail Bar in East Street. Recession or no, they're staying firmly glued on!
Last week was probably the busiest in the drinks industry for social gatherings and I found myself on a train to London on four consecutive nights in my best bib and tucker and with a pocket full of business cards.
Probably the most enjoyable event was the annual dinner for the British Guild of Beer Writers, a meal followed by an awards ceremony to recognise those hacks – sadly, no prizes for the hackettes this year – who had done most to promote the nation's favourite drink through their scribblings in national nespapers, magazines, books and websites.
As you might expect, each course at dinner was matched with a different beer – and I'm not talking steak and ale here, or lager with curry, though both of those are fine beer and food combinations.
An American IPA with a smokey, peaty taste was a great partner to the smoked trout starter, and was followed by four more equally interesting, unpredictatable pairings.
Some worked better than others, just as some wine and food combinations work better than others, but each sparked discussion. It's just a shame that, bar a handful of journalists writing for the national press, the audience was drawn mainly from within the brewing industry, as I think the outside world would be pleasantly surprised by the relative youth and absence of 'beer bellies' displayed by most of the guests!
Like many in the industry, I tuned in to The Money Programme's 'Last Orders' programme on Friday evening.
It seemed to have more bad news than good about pubs but overall it painted a fairly balanced picture of what's happening in the sector.
And it did a reasonable job, I thought, of getting across the link between hikes in beer duty and pub closures, but I wonder what viewers will have taken out of it? Or what it might encourage them to do as a result?
It did encourage me to visit the website http://axethebeertax.com/, and send a ready-written email to Francis Maude, urging him to join the growing number of MPs who are trying to halt the decline of the British pub.
As an industry insider, however, my involvement is not that surprising.
But how realistic is it to think today's consumers can be made to care about a pub closing, when there are so many other places where they can spend their precious cash and time?
Other pubs and bars, coffee shops, cinemas, shopping centres...
it's a long list.
But, as one of the co-owners of the co-operative pub featured on the programme commented, if you give your customers what they want, they'll come back, and tell their friends about you.
He made it sound simpler than it is for many licensees, I know, but he has a point. And his pub has apparently achieved 40 per cent sales growth.
Finally, that signed contract from my first client arrived at the end of the week. As from January, I'll be handling the PR for Brakspear, a pub company with around 150 pubs in the south-east and a head office in Henley. A good start to what I'm quietly confident will be a good year for Shiel Communications.
Next week: 'Glass Half Full' takes a festive break. Thanks to all who have read my blog and posted supportive comments over the past six weeks, and I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Ros Shiel was public relations manager for Beautiful Beer, a campaign funded by the UK's brewers and pub companies to improve the image of beer. She was made redundant in October after brewers slashed funding and is now working as a freelance PR consultant and copywriter. Ros lives in Horsham and spends her free time running round the park, writing blogs and drinking beer in the Black Jug.
www.shielcomms.co.uk
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Weather for Horsham
Friday 25 May 2012
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