Facttactic

Corporate and technical writers

Marketing

being an online local

Back in the day, an online presence was all about being easily seen and found by a wide audience. It’s interesting now to watch moves by many real-world businesses to use the net to communicate with local audiences — people in their own city or even their own neighbourhood.

You may also have noticed that Google searches have local searches showing up more often.

So what does this all mean if you want to communicate via your website with local people?

The first step is to have locality-based information in your page copy, links and titles. [Read more…] about being an online local

sex, rugby and rubber rings — a PR drubbing

Alarm bells should have given Telecom bosses tinnitus ahead of the launch last week of the no-sex, Abstain for the Game campaign.

Let’s recap.

  • Backing Black, the Telecom-backed, All Blacks supporters network, launched a campaign whereby fans could pledge support by promising to abstain from sex for the duration for the Rugby World Cup.
  • In return they would get a pledge band (rubber ring) to signify their commitment.

 
While justification for World Cup abstinence wasn’t forthcoming, one can only assume participants were supposed to be developing empathy for the All Blacks in a World Cup love lockdown.

However, surely that was based on a false premise. There’s never been any suggestion the national team would be called on to abstain. (And was the unfortunate connection that rubber rings have with farmers docking their sheep ever considered?!) [Read more…] about sex, rugby and rubber rings — a PR drubbing

telling the world about it

A huge sign on a hill shouting out Wellington’s high-standing in the movie industry seems a good idea but the slang word chosen — ‘Wellywood’ — has long been a slightly juvenile, throw-away and ironic term that has somehow crept into the mainstream.

And as a PR opportunity for the capital’s undoubted world-class skills and success in international move-making, the Miramar hill is a great site for incoming tourist flights, but Wellywood is an opportunity wasted.  It may be familiar and humorous to some ‘in the know’ but I’m siding with the growing number of voices calling it tacky.

But at Facttactic we’re not in the business of criticising things without offering positive solutions so it was great to see the guys at online-design outfit Skull and Bones with their interactive Wellywood Sign Generator. Type in your own word or phrase and see what it looks like on the side of the hill!