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I was slightly perplexed to learn that a council was planning on removing all apostrophes from street names on the premise it will help avoid confusion.

Under the new grammar regime in Tiverton, Devon St Paul’s Square would become St Pauls Square and Blundell’s Avenue would be, well you get the idea. A council spokesperson was quoted saying that for many years now they’ve gone as far as avoiding putting apostrophes in street names, but a move towards removing them from existing names just seems a ridiculous step too far.

The apostrophe has long been feared amongst school pupils and adults alike, but is that a good enough reason to start challenging and changing the rules of the English language – the most widely used language in the world?

And, if we start dropping the odd apostrophe what will be next? Capital letters? Commas? Or a complete move to text speak!

However, grammar groups and protectors of our sacred, albeit I admit complex language, came to the apostrophe’s defence and Mid Devon Council made the sensible decision to back down.

In a world where we can work the most complicated mobile tablets and technical devices I do question why this unassuming symbol has become such a nemesis.

I strongly agree with many of the apostrophe’s champions. The best way to learn is to see and use practical examples of it. Completely removing it will surely only lead to even more confusion and a further lack of understanding!

As many of us eagerly open up our chocolate-filled advent calendars in the final countdown to Christmas, others across the globe are counting down for a very different reason.

We’re heading towards the end of the Mayan calendar, and if the doomsday-mongers have got it right we’re also heading towards a cataclysmic end to the planet Earth.

December 21st marks the conclusion of the 5,125-year “Long Count” Mayan calendar and it has been reported that sales of candles, essentials and even survival shelters have increased across the globe as people prepare for the Mayan apocalypse.

However, before you go into panic mode, NASA has released a video – 10 days ahead of schedule – entitled ‘Why the world didn’t end yesterday’.

So confident is the national space agency that the world won’t come to a tragic end as threatened in Armageddon, that the video, which was meant to be put out on 22nd December, was actually released this week.

So, if the ‘powers that be’ at NASA have got it right, it looks like we’ll get to have our turkey dinner after all. Does that mean I need to go and start my Christmas shopping now – thought I might have got out of it!?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fT3lHIEHiDQ

This month has seen the arrival of one of the most anticipated fashion collaborations: Maison Martin Margiela for H&M.

Ever since H&M announced that its partnership with Margiela would feature iconic pieces from the fashion house’s archive, excitement has been growing about the opportunity to bag a designer bargain.

Shoppers queued throughout the night with the hope of snapping up a piece from the collection and within minutes of the doors opening H&M’s website succumbed to the overwhelming demand and crashed.

This approach isn’t the first for H&M, in 2004 the retailer joined forces with fashion heavyweight Karl Lagerfeld and more recently it has worked with Stella McCartney and Lanvin to create designer pieces at high street prices.

These innovative collaborations have worked wonders for the Swedish retailer with it enjoying whopping profits and opening more stores than ever, and the partnerships haven’t hurt those they’ve teamed up with either.

Collaborations and partnerships can have a real benefit to both brands. For H&M the approach has enabled it to flourish and grow during a time of economic uncertainty whilst others have floundered. Creating a buzz around the launch of its collections it’s cleverly positioned itself as the brand that stands for fashion credentials but at affordable prices. For the likes of Lagerfeld and McCartney they’ve been able to tap into a whole new audience, forming new relationships and increasing awareness amongst a younger, fashion hungry crowd. Its well thought out and strategic partnerships have propelled it through the recession.

However, choosing the right partner to be associated with is key, as is the timing. Take Nadine Dorries’ decision to enter the jungle for I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here. Some say it was an ill-advised move, opening her up to criticism at a time when public perception and confidence in our politicians is at a low. Her attempt to reach out to a new demographic appears to have done her no favours, though thousands have picked up the phone to vote for her, even if it has been to bury her in a coffin full of cockroaches. But, we’re only a week into the show and although she’s bearing the brunt of public judgment now she still has time to change things.

Finding new and innovative ways to communicate with your audience is key and can be the difference to ‘making it’ during these challenging times. Whether it’s teaming up with someone new, or putting yourself out there with a different crowd, it would appear that he who dares, wins. Though I may reserve judgement on Nadine’s appearance until I’ve caught up with the series on Sky Plus!

One thing is for sure, H&M has proved that an innovative collaboration that harnesses the successes of each brand is a sure fire way to stay ahead.

Now, as any of my Rewired colleagues will confirm, I’m not exactly a big sports fan. At a push I’ll watch the odd England game, but that’s as far as it goes. So when the news about Fabio’s resignation broke this week I kind of let it all go over my head, quickly turning over the sports pages when reading the newspapers.

However, when I stumbled upon a cleverly written ad on job site Reed’s website, I have to say that even I was compelled to read it, and consequently share it with you.

The ad, which was posted by agency Guru, appeals for an England Football Manager, with ‘that win-at-all-costs mentality to take up a high profile, public facing Football Management role with the national team’.

The ad continues giving an overview of what exactly the position will entail and what will be expected from the successful candidate, ‘succeed in a major international tournament (quarter finals or above)’ and ‘beatGermany’ being among the most important.

Once I’d finished chuckling to myself it struck me what an opportune and clever bit of self promotion this actually is. Yes, it continues the ‘should he, or would he be better’ debate in the office, but it also cleverly communicates with its target audience and as a result has us all looking up who this Guru agency is.

Working in the PR industry, I’m always on the look out for creative and innovative ways to connect my clients with their target audience. This witty and timely piece of promotion is a great example of how thinking outside the box and being quick to respond to breaking news can result in fantastic exposure for yourself or your client.

Now, let me just get my CV in order….highly organised, check; energetic, check; previous international management experience, hummmmm, maybe not!

To read the full ad check out: http://www.reed.co.uk/jobs/england-football-manager-london-wembley-travel-required/21171278#/jobs/leisure-tourism/south-east-england

Having beaten off stiff competition, a headline by The Gloucestershire Echo has been voted as the funniest of the year by readers of HoldtheFrontPage(HtFP).

“Girls schools still offering ‘something special’ – head” clinched the ‘accolade’ despite corkers like “Man jailed for crack in bum” and “Jesus rubbishes mum’s sex claims” threatening to steal its thunder.

According to one high-profile copywriter ‘your first 15 words count more that the 15,000 words that follow’, so just how important is it to get your headline just right?

A headline can make a real impression on a prospective reader; without a headline that manages to convert a browser into a reader, the rest of your news or story might as well be invisible.

But can a headline do more than just interest and excite a reader? A good headline can be an effective vehicle to communicate your key message to your intended audience and entice them to carry on reading. But in order to do this, and to generate maximum response, you have to spend a bit of time writing and testing your headlines. And, if you spend a lot of time producing lots of copy this can be easier said than done.

Whatever type of copy you’re writing, be it for a newsletter, press release, article or blog, you need to make sure you and your copy stands out from the crowd. These are busy times, so if your headline doesn’t make an immediate impact you could face going out with the trash.

Below are some of my favourite top tips and techniques for creating a good headline:
1.    Avoid using clichés – ‘unique’, ‘premier’ and ‘number one’ are all over used, remember you need to set yourself apart from your competitors.
2.    Intrigue readers – ask questions that are sure to grab attention and make you reader think.
3.    Get to the point Vs creative – both can work in the right situation. You just need to decide what the aim of your headline is.
4.    Promise to solve a problem – I’d be tempted to read something that promised I’d look like Angelina Jolie in two weeks, wouldn’t you? (Replace with Brad Pitt if necessary.)
5.    Let people into a secret – we all like to feel included. Making the reader feel special and privy to information only a few others know will pique their interest. 
And finally…… Make sure you deliver on your promises. Even if your headline is the most outstanding ever written, if your copy doesn’t deliver your reader will feel cheated. Make sure the rest of your copy lives up to the reader’s expectations.

‘Look after the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves’ has been a mantra which I have long lived by, but is this really the case?

2011 has been a rather busy year for me so far. A wedding to plan and a house move has meant that there hasn’t been a weekend which hasn’t been spent planning or packing, or my least favourite activity, looking at budgets and ways to save for the aforementioned.

Despite figures released this week which demonstrated inflation had slightly dropped in October to 5%, down from 5.2% the previous month, rates still remain way above the Bank of England’s target of 2%. And although there has been a fall in the price of food due to supermarkets’ ‘price wars’, and moves by MPs to urge the government to cap increases in the price of petrol, this figure doesn’t look like it’s going to drop dramatically anytime soon.
 
This prolonged period of high inflation has meant that those people who want to save and look after their pennies are struggling to make their money work for them.

According to the Moneyfacts financial information service, there is currently no standard savings account which allows people to make sure their savings keep up with inflation, after tax is taken into account. The past year has seen the number of savings accounts that beat inflation for basic-rate taxpayers drop from 91 to none, leaving savers like me in a bit of a tricky situation.

Moneyfacts say a basic-rate taxpayer would now need to earn 6.5% interest on their savings to keep pace with inflation. But with the average savings account paying a pitiful 1.1%, things don’t look good.

Yet HSBC research suggests things were very different during previous inflation peaks. When the rate hit 5.9% in 1991 savers were still getting 9.7%, on average.

Fast forward to today and the amount UK savers have put away has soared, up from £360bn in 1991 to £1trillion now. However, while ¬savers pocketed £34.6bn in interest 20 years ago, record low rates mean today they will earn just £11.4bn this year.

There’s lots of advice out there on how to try and beat inflation; various bonds and index-linked saving schemes, but I’m thinking I should maybe take a different approach this year.

Hide cash under the mattress or simply go out and spend it (I’ve heard the cost of air travel is pretty good at the moment) are options.

However, after a recent trip to Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter I was shocked to learn the price of gold.

Recent research from insurance provider Esure has suggested that many Brits over the past year have invested in gold but not in the bank; not surprising given the above stats.

The research revealed one in ten people in the UK has more money in gold than cash savings, while 38% surveyed believed investing in gold was a better option than putting their hard-earned cash into a savings account.

And if you look at how the price of gold has soared over the past decade, you can see why people are taking an interest in this precious metal. The price of gold has risen by 300% in the last ten years, which is why many see investment in gold as a way of beating the rising cost of living.

Only time will tell if the banks respond and start offering more competitive saving options, but in the meantime I quite like the idea of this gold business. And, considering Rewired Towers is based in the infamous JQ, I won’t have to splash out on fuel to get there!

Some of you may have noticed that the folks at Rewired PR took part in St. Basil’s Bake Off last week.

After much discussion, and several hours trawling through recipes on the internet, we all decided on which treats we were going to attempt to make.  Whilst some of us got creative with Nutella and cinnamon, others decided to take a more classical approach by whipping up a chocolate and pear cake. Chocolate brownies featured quite prominently on the menu, and the retro chocolate Rice Krispie cake also made an appearance.

Having excitedly set out our wares on a rather dashing polka dot tablecloth, we waited with nervous anticipation for our first customers. Relief washed over us when our first visitors arrived, and we were all delighted that we not only sold something but people actually seemed to enjoy the goodies!

After a rather busy lunch time, which also saw some members of the team doing a sale dash around the office block – The Apprentice style, we were all thrilled when all we had left were empty plates, crumbs and a rather full donation tin.

In total, the Rewired PR team raised £126.55 for St. Basils, an extremely deserving local charity which works tirelessly to prevent youth homelessness across the region.

We’d like to thank all of those who helped the team reach this total. Now onto the next challenge, the St. Basil’s Sleep Out!

As I write this blog I’m feeling particularly motivated and inspired. The reason? I’ve just returned from Metapod Fast Forward training. Delivered and facilitated by Helga Henry and Dean Melbourne of Fierce Earth, who made the training interesting and so much fun, the course had the perfect mix of creativity coupled with sound business advice and debate.

Held over two weekends (at two very nice hotels), the training focused on looking ahead to the future to turn business dreams into a reality. A mix of participatory exercises and key note speaker sessions, the training not only encouraged participants to ‘think big’ but provided some practical advice and tips which can be used in everyday business situations.

Particular highlights include speaker Sonita Alleyne, who talked to the group about her journey to become one of the leading lights in the UK media industry, and of course the legendary Jean Pickles, who had us up on our feet doing all sorts of motivational exercises.

Metapod Fast Forward was a thoroughly enjoyable and inspiring training course to go on. I met some fascinating people and am looking forward to putting my training into action!

So, I thought it only right that I talk about the royal wedding. As I’m currently in the process of organising my own wedding, some would think I’d have been in my element, soaking up all of the chatter surrounding wedding gown designers, guest lists and honeymoon decisions. I can’t say that I enthusiastically threw myself into the affair nor did I rush out to buy the latest royal memorabilia, be it a delicate Royal Worcester plate or souvenir condoms! Saying that, I did surprise myself a little and on the day got into the spirit of things with smoked salmon and some bubbles!

Setting aside my own apathetic attitude towards the whole thing, it would appear the royal wedding was exactly what a country, recovering from an economic downturn, needed. As well as creating a sense of wellbeing and solidarity, the royal wedding was a sure fire way to give the UK economy a boost, with tourism and of course the abundance of merchandising that hit the market, among the areas benefiting the most. 

According to research by Visit Britain, our royal family already pulls in £500m in tourist spending each year, so I can only imagine what this figure increased to during the wedding period. Apparently, in 1981, Charles and Diana’s wedding was quoted as the main reason tourists were most likely to visit the UK. I think their son may have proved just as popular, if not more!

Now, even I can’t ignore the fact that with the royal wedding came an added perk for us all – an extra day off! Although there may be some, mainly owners of SMEs who are still reeling over all the bank holidays in April, who cursed that extra day, most were pretty excited to benefit from this royal occasion. And, with that excitement and the decent weather which graced us, I’m pretty sure consumer spending went on the up!

April was certainly an odd month for business, and the number of bank holidays surely had me feeling slightly disjointed, though please do not get me wrong, the extra days off were greatly appreciated! Now well and truly into the month of May if you’re anything like me you’re feeling settled and roaring to go.

So, here’s to the happy couple and to a busy and successful month ahead!

So, I finally managed to watch the King’s Speech last week, and wow, I now understand what all the hype is about! However, as I was watching it, I couldn’t help but feel sympathetic as that recognisable feeling of apprehension washed over me. Public speaking is by no means an easy task; voice control, volume level, eye contact, not to mention actually remembering what you’re supposed to be saying, are all factors which have contributed to public speaking topping the list of things to make you break out into a sweat.

However, as I have learned, it is something you can get better at, and even enjoy! I’ve set out some top tips below which will hopefully be of use next time you have to make your own King’s speech! Good luck!  

Know your stuff: You’ve probably been asked to do the presentation or speech because you’re considered a specialist on the subject, so make sure this come across in your presentation. Ensure you know more about the subject than you include in your speech and recite personal stories to bring it to life and demonstrate your experience.

Focus on the opening and the close: The opening is what gets people’s attention and sets them up to listen to you. The close is what you will leave in their minds.

Practice: Have a dress rehearsal, preferably in front of someone else or even a mirror. You can never be too prepared. Practice with a timer and remember to allow time for the unexpected!

Relax and centre yourself: Easier said than done, I know! But if you can learn to stay clam and in control of your nerves you’ll find your presentation will run a lot smoother. Breathe steadily, relax your shoulders and transform nervous energy into enthusiasm.

Target audience: Make sure your speech is appropriate for your audience. People will be far more interested and willing to engage if they think it’s relevant to them. Tailor your presentation so it’s applicable to that particular crowd. 

Keep your notes close by: Not many people are totally comfortable with presenting without notes. Use index cards to write down bullet points and key words which will remind you of the important points you need to cover and in what order. But don’t read from a script!

Don’t fight interruptions: If someone’s mobile goes off or people start talking, don’t try and battle on with your speech as it will not only distract you, it will also divert your audience’s attention away from you. Stop talking until the disruption has stopped. Gather your thoughts and continue.

Have a clear plan: Structure is really important. Get your ideas and thoughts in an order that flows and makes sense.

Don’t worry about mistakes: Mistakes are all right as they emphasise the fact you’re only human. Your audience wants you to succeed and will be rooting for you. So stay calm, take a deep breath and carry on.

Speak with passion: If you’re not enthusiastic about your presentation then why should your audience be? Speak up, make eye contact and really connect and engage with them.