PR Archives - Tech Trends

It’s None of My Business – Or Is It?

Alice — Thu, 22 Feb 2018 09:53:46 +0000

The Lush Summit in London was a celebration of their activist ethos, but it also turns out they have a thing or three to teach companies about business, and tech.

“You don’t seem to realize what business you’re in. You’re not in the burger business, you’re in the real estate business. You build an empire by owning the land. What you ought to be doing is owning the land upon which that burger is cooked.” Harry J. Sonneborn in The Founder (2016).

The Lush Summit 2018 was a slightly chaotic whirlwind of vegan doughnuts, argan oil and papier-mâché, but make no mistake the people at Lush know exactly what business they are in: activism.

As CDO Jack Constantine put it, “We are a company of activists who make cosmetics”.

Yes, this sounds like a carefully crafted PR line, but as it turns out it’s true. Every year, Lush donates hundreds of thousands of pounds towards a number of causes from close to home subjects such as animal testing to more far reaching concerns like ocean pollution and human rights campaigns.

The people at Lush know exactly what business they are in: activism
Share on X

Lush is a company of activists who make cosmetics
Share on X

For someone like myself, who has spent over a decade working in the comms industry, corporate social responsibility too often echoes the Monsanto-esque approach to sustainability campaigns: cue accomplished looking farmer peacefully walking back home at dusk after a wholesome day of work in the fields. If you find yourself in that uncomfortable place between the need to believe that a better way of doing business is possible and having to deal with a heavy dose of accumulated cynicism, Lush might just have something to lift up your spirits.

If you find yourself torn between jaded scepticism and the need to believe that a better way of doing business is actually possible, the Lush approach might be for you
Share on X

Lush’s concept, like most good ones, is simple: make fresh handmade products that people love. The ‘how’ they do it, is the interesting bit, though. From ingredient sourcing to how staff are treated, right through to their naked packaging policy, Lush operates with a relentless commitment to “do the right thing” all businesses should strive for. Let’s set the record straight before anyone gets flashbacks of hippies dancing around a fire, in 2016 Lush made £723 million in sales – an increase of 26% over the previous year. Not too shabby.

Lush’s concept is simple: make fresh handmade products that people love. The ‘how’ they do it, is the interesting bit
Share on X

Lush has plenty to teach businesses especially those in the tech space
Share on X

So, how do you make that kind of money while running a business with a heart? As I discovered, Lush has plenty to teach other businesses especially those in the tech space. Aside from the obvious fact that we all wash and use technology daily (well, most of us do anyway), Lush has a firmer handle on their digital ethics than their glittery products might lead you to believe.

Means to an end

Make products with a mission, let your customers fall in love with both

In 2016 Lush launched The Digital Fund to support grassroot activists and charities protecting freedom of expression and safeguarding the Internet. The fund was financed by the sale of their Error 404 special edition bath bombs, which raised well over £200,000. Bahrain Watch, Digital Rights Watch in Australia and the Association for Technology and Internet in Romania are some of the associations that received funding so far.

In 2018 Lush is focusing on e-waste, the 20 million tons produced every year to be precise, with a new campaign built around a mobile-shaped Agbogbloshie bath bomb… the only phone you’ll ever willingly drop in water.

Lush is focusing on the 20 million tons of e-waste we produce every year
Share on X

DIY tech

If it’s not good enough make your own

Tech is everywhere nowadays, have you noticed? Hence it should come as no surprise that Lush employs a 40-strong team of software developers globally, who have built the company’s POS software. The surprising bit is that the software is completely open source, which means it’s technically available to their competitors too.

Lush employs a 40-strong team of software developers globally who have built the company’s open source POS software
Share on X

Lush is planning on rolling out their hardware, tablets for their retail locations to begin with, by the end of 2018
Share on X

To take this crafty endeavour one step further, Lush is planning on rolling out their hardware – tablets for their retail locations to begin with – by the end of 2018. Let that sink in for a moment: a cosmetics company making their own ethically produced tech hardware.

“We have no plans to take over Apple any time soon” – jokes Constantine – “But we are serious about offering an ethical alternative to mainstream devices.”

End-to-end ethics

Dissect the entire lifecycle of tech

As the folks at Oxfam know all too well, your organisation is only as ethical as its weakest link. In other words, strong ethics are only as deep as a company’s knowledge of all the steps involved in the production of a product, and its willingness to “walk the walk.” Lush partners with a number of charities, associations and likeminded companies to bring its vision to life while avoiding cutting corners. Sharing moral standards with the people you do business with, finding the informed advisors and contributing by not being part of the problem are all important steps towards this.

Lush partners with a number of charities, associations and likeminded companies to bring its vision to life
Share on X

Two examples of such partnerships that stand out in the tech space are Ethical Consumer and Fairphone, who are both working with Lush to raise awareness around the sometimes shady tech supply chain. Whether it’s the dubious work ethics of invisible tech giant Foxconn – who subcontracts for the likes of Apple – or children mining cobalt in Congo, it seems high time for businesses to question the true cost of the tech they use or make.

It seems high time for businesses to question the true cost of the tech they use or make.
Share on X

So is Lush a dream company? Perhaps. Is it perfect? Of course not. However, with a reported pre-tax profit of £43.2m in FY 2015/2016 (an increase of £18.7m on 2014/15) and fingers in all the right tech pies Lush is definitely one to watch, and at Tech Trends we’ll continue to do just that.

What an incredible two days at the #LushSummit. pic.twitter.com/Wz46OTiBBo

— LUSH UK (@LushLtd) February 15, 2018

Sole Chirco is an emotional intelligence consultant and Tech Trends’ Wellness Tech Correspondent. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.

The post It’s None of My Business – Or Is It? appeared first on Tech Trends.

Is Artificial Intelligence the Future of PR?

Alice — Fri, 27 Jan 2017 14:23:43 +0000

Artificial Intelligence is literally embedded everywhere these days, and as automation advances at breakneck speed, the goalposts have already shifted further than most of us realise.

This has implications for every industry, because while creative jobs are likely to prove more resilient to the threat of automation than task-based repetitive work, there is plentiful evidence that the rise of the machines will leave no stone undisrupted.

Artificial Intelligence will leave no stone undisrupted
Share on X

In this article for the Huffington Post I look at some of the ways in which AI and Machine Learning have already transformed PR, and how creatives can best leverage the power of automation.

Artificial Intelligence is literally embedded everywhere these days, and as automation advances at breakneck speed, the goalposts have already shifted further than most of us realize. This has implications for every industry, because while creative jobs are likely to prove more resilient to the threat of automation than task-based repetitive work, there is plentiful evidence that the rise of the machines will leave no stone undisrupted.

Already in 2015, M&C Saatchi was using AI to optimize an ad campaign in real time by using a Kinect camera setup to sense reaction to a poster in London’s Oxford Street, and adapt accordingly – switching out images, changing font sizes and rejigging the layout in response to those interactions.

Already in 2015, M&C Saatchi was using AI to optimize an ad campaign in real time by using a Kinect camera setup to sense reaction to a poster in London’s Oxford Street, and adapt accordingly
Share on X

In March 2016, McCann Japan went even further, “hiring” an Artificial Intelligence for a Creative Director post. Furthermore, when that AI was pitted against its human counterpart later that year (they were both given the task of creating a spot for Clorets Mint Tabs and the results put to a public vote) the robot won.

And robots are winning everywhere, it seems. Since the Associate Press decided to employ AI to automate the writing of some of its reports, it experienced a tenfold increase in aps earnings generated by those stories. While EagleAI managed to predict the US election results where most human pollsters failed. The algorithms achieved this by analyzing billions of individual data points, and leveraging machine learning to “understand” how sentiment and tone translated into future voter behavior, which turned out to be all too accurate.

Since the Associate Press decided to employ AI to automate the writing of some of its reports, it experienced a tenfold increase in aps earnings generated by those stories
Share on X

In practice, this means that AI can also be used to help us understand – and consequently predict – brand penetration and engagement/buying behavior. But does this translate into the replacement of PR, Marketing and Communications professionals by droves of automated bots? Not necessarily.

Although the relationship between people and AI is often framed in adversarial terms – “us versus the machines” type narratives – the future paints a rather more collaborative picture, specially in fields such as Public Relations which by their very nature require a high degree of social chemistry.

AI can also be used to help us understand – and consequently predict - brand penetration and engagement/buying behaviour.
Share on X

There are actually ways for professionals in these areas to leverage AI and Machine Learning to make their work more effective – and more enjoyable in the process – by delegating the bulk of repetitive tasks such as reporting, searching, and preparing lists and documents to algorithms. Data in this context can be used to empower creative professionals in making better decisions for their clients.

However, just like in dating, information can only take you so far – the rest comes down to chemistry. And that’s where the human factor will remain relevant, as artistry and adaptation are core success factors in a métier that essentially boils down to human engagement and interaction.

Just like in dating, information can only take you so far - the rest comes down to chemistry
Share on X

Which leads us to another crucial way in which AI will become invaluable for PR professionals: finding the right partner.

Matchmaking technology has already fundamentally transformed the way we buy products and services. Think of the way companies like Airbnb, Uber, Deliveroo and Ebay have disrupted established industries – not by creating new resources – but by leveraging information in order to connect people at the right place and the right time with exactly what they want or need – be it a ride, a place to sleep, a meal or (as was the case for me last week) a beautiful vintage typewriter.

And we’ve already seen interesting examples of this applied to business interactions. Event matchmaking app Grip, for example, uses a Tinder-like approach to networking, presenting users at events such as conferences with a list of recommended people they should meet. They then decide whether the introduction is appropriate and swipe left or right accordingly. If both parties ‘swipe right’ a virtual handshake ensues and an in-person meeting is arranged.

While automation will certainly play an ever-increasing role in industries such as Advertising and Public relations going forward, it won’t lead to replacing humans with machines altogether
Share on X

Connecting people and companies in a relevant and timely way is also what David Haddad and Mohamed Fakhreddine are setting out to do for Public Relations with Publiseek, a new platform that matches businesses with the most suitable service providers for their brief.

“There are a million plus small and medium sized business service providers globally spending more than 100 billion dollars to acquire new projects per year, but a lot of that money and effort is wasted, as they don’t realize until quite late in the marketing funnel that the client is not a good fit,” Haddad explains. “That’s equally frustrating for the client, who often need help filtering a cloud of options to a few providers that match their character and needs.”

He came up with the ‘payment by results’ idea when running an on-demand, performance-based PR agency where his clients only paid if media coverage was achieved. That led to the creation of a pairing website to link up businesses with agencies. The model, which was piloted successfully in the UAE is now being rolled out in the United Kingdom as part of the UK-Lebanon Tech Hub accelerator.

“Since launching we have processed projects worth more than a million dollars,” adds Fakhreddine. A large segment of the economy consists of business service providers like law firms or PR agencies, and we hear from these small and medium sized enterprises that they spend a huge proportion of their time prospecting for new relevant clients. This can all be avoided by a transparent process that matches expectations with the people in the best position to deliver on them, and we see AI as an essential tool in that direction.”

So while automation will certainly play an ever-increasing role in industries such as Advertising and Public relations going forward, it won’t lead to replacing humans with machines altogether. Rather, the overall trend that emerges is a much more positive one; The future will see AI being used to match clients with the best people to deliver their message to the right audience, while at the same time empowering creative professionals to make better decisions for those clients at every stage of the process.

In the Age of Post-Truth and Artificial Intelligence, what is the Future of PR? https://t.co/gfIl0NJlH0

— Alice Bonasio (@alicebonasio) January 27, 2017

For companies looking to get into VR/AR/MR our Virtual Reality Consultancy services offer guidance on how these technologies can enhance and support your brand strategy.

Alice Bonasio is a VR Consultant and Tech Trends’ Editor in Chief. She also regularly writes for Fast Company, Ars Technica, Quartz, Wired and others. Connect with her on LinkedIn and follow @alicebonasio and @techtrends_tech on Twitter.

The post Is Artificial Intelligence the Future of PR? appeared first on Tech Trends.