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Love it or hate it, you can’t help but notice that Valentine’s Day is once again upon us, and there are a whole host of activities taking place across the city to celebrate the season of amour this week.

Every girl knows that a good Valentine’s Day can’t be complete without chocolate; and chocolate-themed attraction Cadbury World is pulling out all the stops this weekend. With its very own human Cupid statue dishing out Cadbury favourites to happy couples, and hand-crafted hearts on sale at the gift shop, the Bournville-based attraction really is bringing romance to life.

And the loved-up feeling continues at restaurants across the city. Southside district’s Las Iguanas offers a fresh glass of fizz to accompany three courses of South American treats, while the unique three course menu at San Carlo, Temple Street, encompasses the very best of Italian cuisine.

So what if lovey and dovey just isn’t your style? Well why not head down to The Electric Cinema and snuggle up on a sofa with action packed blockbuster Zero Dark Thirty.

So whatever you choose to do this Valentine’s Day, forget Paris; Birmingham is the new city of love.

On Tuesday 29 January, Birmingham LGBT opened England and Wales’ first Health and Wellbeing Centre in Birmingham’s Southside district. As Southside’s PR team, Rewired were tasked with providing PR support for the launch of the centre both in the lead up to the opening and for the opening itself.

In the months leading up to the opening, the Rewired team were busy maintaining a continuous communication with key media on both a regional and national level to secure launch coverage.

Rewired worked closely with all key journalists and Birmingham LGBT throughout the sell in, which included setting up a number of interviews with Birmingham LGBT spokespeople across online and broadcast media. The Rewired team accompanied and fully briefed Birmingham LBGT spokespeople for each of their interviews at the centre and in studios, while also working with each journalist to manage their expectations.

The support resulted in coverage in national LGBT press, regional print and online media as well as key regional broadcast media, including radio coverage on Free Radio, Heart FM, BBC WM and TV coverage on ITV Central News.

Take a look at the coverage on ITV Central News, broadcast Thursday 31 January

Last week over 12.2 million Americans and 15 million people worldwide tuned in to watch cyclist Lance Armstrong speak exclusively to Oprah Winfrey in his first interview since he was stripped of his Tour de France titles.

Unsurprisingly the response has been strong but interestingly most criticism appears to be focused towards the interview itself with critics branding it both a well-orchestrated PR stunt and a PR disaster.

Up first is John Fahey, World Anti-Doping Agency president who is angered that all Armstrong did during the interview was confirm details that were already public knowledge in an attempt to gain sympathy and understanding. This interview, he argues, was nothing more than a ‘controlled public relations’ stunt emphasised by Armstrong’s choice of forum to confess adding that he believes he instead should have ‘appeared under oath at an appropriate tribunal where he could be cross examined.’

But did Armstrong’s so-called PR stunt pay off? Harry J Enten, journalist at The Guardian doesn’t believe so, instead branding the interview a public relations nightmare in the making. Citing previous experiences with steroid-using baseball stars, he argues that if Armstrong did indeed want to maintain his public standing then it would have been better for him to keep lying. He points out that whilst Lance’s favourability took a hit with the American public last year when he was stripped of his titles by early January 2013 only ‘37% of American sports fans believed he should not get credit for his career accomplishments’. However, following the interview with Oprah only ‘21% of Americans polled believed that he could now restore his reputation.’

In truth, only time will tell what the outcome of this will be but with more people including his ex-fiancé Sheryl Crow being dragged into the saga one thing is for certain, any PR team connected to this will be working overtime for the foreseeable future.

There’s always that same time of year when we all yearn for those pretty white snowflakes falling magically from the beautiful clear white sky – but for most of us, January is not that time.

Many people across the country will be lining up their sleighs this weekend to take advantage of the widespread winter wonderland, with up to 10 inches of snow expected in the West Midlands. Oh, the reindeer will be pleased! However, for some of us the late arriving snow proves nothing more than a bit of a nuisance.

In what has otherwise been a mild season, sadly the winter freeze also brings with it hazardous conditions for commuters across the country, causing major disruptions and warnings to travel only if necessary. So any weekend plans you had made may need to be reconsidered. Sort of takes the magic away, don’t you think?

It really does beg the question; does snow only hold its power to give us that warm fuzzy feeling when we can head out in to the garden and build a snowman after opening our presents from Santa and indulging in our Christmas dinner? Are any of us actually pleased that winter snow has finally arrived to blanket our rooftops and gardens? Sadly, most of us are well and truly over the seasonal festivities and the magical power has fallen faster than the speed of light. Sad, but true.

So whether you choose to embrace the January snow, hibernate in front of a hot log fire or head off on your travels this weekend, remember to stay safe and watch out for those snowballs!

From dressing Birmingham’s Floozie in the Jacuzzi in a giant pink bra for Ladies Fighting Breast Cancer to getting the nation debating their biggest fashion faux pas for The Mailbox, to winning awards for the Interface Financial Group and launching Desert Rose face oil for Bodhi, 2012 wasn’t short of highlights for the team. And let’s not forget dressing up as the Spice Girls for Cure Leukaemia…

Inspired by our friends over at Orb Creative, I’ve decided to take a moment to stop and reflect on the most significant year to date for Rewired, and a look ahead to what’s in store for 2013.

New clients

We started 2012 with some major client wins, including Southside Business Improvement District. In May we unveiled the city’s very own Rhinestone Rhino, resulting in coverage as far afield as Africa. For all the latest gossip from Southside’s bejewelled eye in the sky, make sure you follow @BrumRhino.

Our Olympic moment

With London 2012 dominating the headlines we were proud to have our own Olympic moment. Led by events supremo Sam Pennell, the Rewired team planned and delivered the Film Nation Shorts Awards at the BFI in London, hosted by the wonderful Claudia Winkleman and part of London 2012’s Opening Festival.

New faces

We welcomed a number of new team members across 2012 including Pippa Briggs, Kristy Norris and Samantha Harrison, and Rebecca Williams was promoted to the Board.

Company growth

October saw a key development for the Rewired Media Group, as long-established and well-respected agency, Lois Burley PR, joined forces with us. With Lois, Lucie and Simon moving in to our Birmingham office, we ended 2012 as a 10-strong team.

Awards

The icing on the cake for 2012 was picking up two CIPR Pride Awards for our work with long-standing clients Kraft Foods and Cadbury World.

So what does 2013 hold in store?

The year is already off to a busy start, with the opening of our London office at the end of January to help us to service our national client base.

In May we’ll be marking our 5^th birthday and, not ones to shy away from a good party, I’m sure there will be celebrations in store.

Thanks to all of those who have supported us, worked with us and appointed us in 2012! Here’s to a successful year ahead for us all.

As the New Year approaches, attentions are once again turning to resolutions; and whether you’re looking to make improvements in your work life, personal life, health or hobbies, one thing’s for certain – January is the perfect time to make a new start.

For those of us lucky enough to take a break this festive season, the rest and relaxation will rejuvenate our minds and bodies; putting us in the perfect frame of mind to break old habits, try new things and make a fresh start.

A recent poll carried out by the Daily Mail suggests that the top three resolutions among Brits revolve around health; a surprising statistic when you take into account the fact that 23% of the UK population are obese.

Resolving to lose weight topped the poll, while getting fit and eating healthier took second and third position. Other resolutions to make the top 10 included saving more money, spending more time with friends and family, and trying new experiences.

Unfortunately, and despite our best intentions, many of our resolutions will have been forgotten by the time February comes around. Experts suggest that this could be because we simply aren’t specific enough about what we’re trying to achieve.

Instead of saying: “I want to lose weight this year”, say: “I want to lose 2 stone in 6 months”; you’ll be surprised by how drastically your chances of seeing out your resolutions improve if you set a measurable target.

Good luck!

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

Despite the fact that December only began on Saturday, for many people Christmas had already begun much earlier. I am of course talking about the high street retailers who are already locked in a fierce battle to win the accolade of 2012’s best Christmas advert.

Seemingly already winning the title is John Lewis, which had a tough act to follow after making headlines in 2011 with its depiction of a child desperately counting down the minutes until presenting his gift. Opting for a more romantic route for 2012, the advert sees a snowman falling in love with a snowgirl with a central theme illustrating that ‘no journey is too far to buy something special for the one you love at Christmas’. It has even inspired a children’s publisher to create a picture book. The rhyming text was written and pitched within 48 hours of the release of the advert and unsurprisingly John Lewis sent it to be printed that same week. It will, you won’t be surprised to hear, be sold exclusively in John Lewis!

Keen to secure that extra slice of the lucrative Christmas market, all the big players including M&S, TK Maxx, Waitrose and Iceland are getting involved, some more successfully than others. This year Boots made the decision to use real-life couples and practical gifts to create a warm and family-friendly advert successfully appealing to its diverse range of customers. Asda however, is already feeling the heat after receiving complaints about its ‘sexist’ slogan that ‘behind every great Christmas, there’s a Mum.’ Despite claiming to receive the backing of a vast majority in a survey of 4,000 mothers, the condemnation of the commercial has managed to unite both feminists and members of Fathers4Justice alike. Win the title it might not but it certainly has got everyone talking about it!

So, John Lewis still seems to be ahead, but what of the traditional festive heavyweight Coca Cola, which for many truly heralds the start of Christmas? Not to be outdone, Coca-Cola’s long-running ‘Holidays are coming’ ad returned earlier this month, this year with the added umph of social media integration. It also announced a five week UK tour of the iconic fairy-lit Coca-Cola truck, which promised to spread the Christmas cheer to a number of retailers and city centres across the country. Disappointingly this did not include Birmingham!

So who wins the 2012 battle of the festive ads? Well for me, despite a sterling effort by John Lewis there is still only one advert that marks the start of my Christmas and that of course belongs to Coca-Cola! Although it had better be ‘a-coming’ to Birmingham next year!

With a cockroach infested season of I’m a Celeb now well underway, this week controversial Tory MP Nadine Dorries became the first person to be evicted from the jungle after just 12 days.

Nadine was very publicly suspended from the Tory party for going on the ITV show, which is largely designed for out of work z-list celebs looking for a platform. As such, a seemingly respectable MP’s decision to enter the jungle proved both baffling to her party and most of the general public.

Nadine’s argument for entering the jungle was to raise awareness of issues by ‘going where the public go’, with shows like I’m a Celeb and X Factor pulling more votes than general elections. I personally am not so sure how watching Nadine eating a camel toe would entrust her as a leader of our society by anyone I know.

Nadine’s swift entry and exit into the jungle for me sparks underlying questions around what constitutes a ‘celebrity’ in our society, but largely about her reasons for going on the show. Did Nadine achieve what she set out to achieve? Do people now care as much about politics as they do X Factor? Highly unlikely. But it did get people talking. And if people are taking about you, you’re half way there.

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.