Uh-oh…
A “BIG” announcement along these lines would have been Duchess of Cambridge perhaps but we lost her to the Girl Guides. I think this just appointment rates as an annoucement.
I dont have an issue with Mr Hoy getting on board, however sadly I do agree it probably wont make much difference to the actual cadets themselves however I would have said a BIG annoumcement would have been something much more meaningful to the Corps a a whole.
Perhaps if they’d set their sights a bit higher and got William… he is an RAF Officer afterall (and once the sea kings go he won’t have much of a job… so we might as well put him to use!!)
[quote=“glass half empty 2” post=6609][quote=“pEp” post=6605]I am stunned at the negative reactions on here. Indifference I expected, but to be so hostile has genuinely surprised me!
How much time does Bear Grylls spend doing stuff for the scouts? I’ll bet it isn’t a lot.
This is a PR coup, which is precisely what we need as a corps. I look forward to seeing what Sir Chris can do for us, and how he can help us.[/quote]
There is so much that is wrong in the Corps, we need that fixed before we need any sort of PR coup.
It’s no use having a figurehead, I imagine fed glossy brochure BS about the ACO and nonsense like mission and vision statements, IF when people potentially inpsired by him, turn up at average sqn and find it’s not like the picture painted. What he needs to do is turn up unannounced at average sqns on average parade nights, as opposed to the media show of a big sqn with all the people and kit.
Now if he was able to get rid of Regions …
What is the point of doing the release of this by social media, it should have been on the BBC news.[/quote]
Hello,
This particular update was seen by over 28,000+ people [facebook]. Presumably a lot more via the website.
Opportunities such as the Sir Chris Hoy announcement shouldn’t go missed. Social It’s helpful to break a news story, create a bit of a buzz and reach out to people - quickly! Interactions on twitter were equally just as good!
I had no doubt that this story would be received well via our social media channels. We had a lot of interactions - sharing, likes and conversations.
Adam
As I said earlier
“Simultaeously announced eh… well our Wing and regional Facebooke pages had nothing on them about a BIGAnnouncement before I saw it on ACC and certainly this afternoon over 3 hours after the announcement there was still nothing…”
But then again that is just how things are across different wings I guess.
In fact it was not posted on our wing facebook officialy until Tuesday with a heading saying announced yesterday…
I don’t like to rain on a parade, but 18000 out of a population of 60 million, 0.03% if my maths is right. As I imagine the idea is to hit the whole of British population major news channels and newspapers are the way to go. I realise that TV and newspapers may be seen as old hat in the modern social media world, but as my understanding is you have to “subscribe” to a particular person, group etc, it is a very limiting way to promote anything.
Surely a 30-60 second story on the BBC and ITV news and I feel sure Chris Hoy is worth a couple of column inches in most newspapers, would have been a much better way to deliver the PR coup and hit millions, plus it would have no doubt been on the BBC and ITV websites.
It would have been marvellous if someone at work today had said something about it.
I don’t know anyone who does twitter and no one who “likes” the ATC or RAF Facebook sites.
It hasn’t even been cascaded through the Corps, via the recent email eveyone, everything system. Big announcement maybe, big news hit no.
As I say please use the more traditional ways of pushing big news with general public appeal to the outside world as social media preaches to the converted.
[quote=“glass half empty 2” post=6668]I don’t like to rain on a parade, but 18000 out of a population of 60 million, 0.03% if my maths is right. As I imagine the idea is to hit the whole of British population major news channels and newspapers are the way to go. I realise that TV and newspapers may be seen as old hat in the modern social media world, but as my understanding is you have to “subscribe” to a particular person, group etc, it is a very limiting way to promote anything.
Surely a 30-60 second story on the BBC and ITV news and I feel sure Chris Hoy is worth a couple of column inches in most newspapers, would have been a much better way to deliver the PR coup and hit millions, plus it would have no doubt been on the BBC and ITV websites.
It would have been marvellous if someone at work today had said something about it.
I don’t know anyone who does twitter and no one who “likes” the ATC or RAF Facebook sites.
It hasn’t even been cascaded through the Corps, via the recent email eveyone, everything system. Big announcement maybe, big news hit no.
As I say please use the more traditional ways of pushing big news with general public appeal to the outside world as social media preaches to the converted.[/quote]
Thanks for the feedback.
Adam
[quote=“thetopcat69” post=6666]As I said earlier
“Simultaeously announced eh… well our Wing and regional Facebooke pages had nothing on them about a BIGAnnouncement before I saw it on ACC and certainly this afternoon over 3 hours after the announcement there was still nothing…”
But then again that is just how things are across different wings I guess.
In fact it was not posted on our wing facebook officialy until Tuesday with a heading saying announced yesterday…[/quote]
Things take time to filter though. There is no harm in this.
one would have assumed you’d know this as a Meeja gimp, but a ‘big PR coup’ is not something that takes a bit of time to filter through - thats kind of the definition of a big PR coup.
ergo, if it takes a bit of time t filter through - rather than spreading like wildfire amongst an excited public - its not a ‘big PR coup’…
Chris Hoy is a decent bloke with a profile, but this drivel is just pathetic - sadly, thats not a surprise.
Sorry - these contradictory comments have left me a tad confused!..
Have I missed something?
I would also say that whilst facebook, twitter, and the ACO website are all good resources, putting out an announcment via such channels does rather sell it’s self short; aiming at those people who already have a enough of an interest in the organization to subscribe to them in the first place.
The ideal way to capture attention and gain publicity for the Corps would have been to push this to the primary news outlets. This might have a further positive effect on the Corps by drawing the interest of people who may currently know very little (if anything) about us and what we do.
I can only assume that pushing the merits of the ACO and hopefully drawing in prospective cadets, staff, contributors, and resources has to be a primary goal for the use of someone with ‘celebrity’ status?
Otherwise, why bother giving him an honourary rank and uniform? He could have become a CI and worked for his local unit - but he’s been given a fancy post and an opportunity to dress up - surely to impress the masses?
I can’t help but feel that a good opportunity to publicize what we do was missed here. What’s the point of having a famous face in post if the people we’re trying to attract aren’t even aware of it?
I know a couple of people who used to work in the role for the BBC and they’d have jumped on that. Should have been an easy story for us to sell to them.
"6-time Olympic Gold Medalist joins the UK’s best youth organization…look what fantastic activities they offer!"
Good for him, good for us…
Whichever way you look at it, I think HQAC took the small-time approach on this one.
I think it really depends on who you’re trying to target. Not all of the 60 million population will be interested and it’s unrealistic to try to target them all. Targeted advertising is what we should be focusing on.
Someone’s gran might see a bit about the Air Cadets in the break during Bargain Hunt, or while doing the crossword, but it’s an inefficient way of reaching the target audience. There is value in building ‘general awareness’, but it’s a very expensive strategy to take, and even multi-million pound companies struggle to get it right.
From personal experience, promotion on social media is effective at recruiting new cadets. Our cadets like to ‘share’ the news articles (Corps/Region/Wing/Sqn, and particularly the ones that they feature in), which makes the article visible to all of their friends. The article is actually placed in front of them, in a stream of text that they are actually paying attention to, and this can have a powerful effect (compare it to passive consumption of a billboard at 40mph, or half-hearted listening in a lesson or lecture).
What I’ve just described is free, but if you’re willing to pay then you can filter the target audience very precisely, for example:
[ul]
[li]who live within 16 kilometres of Anytown[/li]
[li]between the ages of 13 and 18 years old inclusive[/li]
[li]who are not already connected to 123 (Anytown) Squadron ATC[/li]
[li]who are in one of the broad categories Recently Moved, Console Gamers, DIY/Crafts, Gaming (Social/Online), Outdoor Fitness Activities or Sports (All)[/li]
[/ul]
The above list was copied directly from the Facebook advertisement setup page. Limiting the number of people who see the message can actually be very effective, as you can afford to place it in the premium advertising slots, and make sure that they see it over and over again.
You can choose to target the advertisement even more precisely, down to pupils at individual schools, or friends of people who have liked the squadron page (presumably mostly friends of cadets, or friends of cadets parents).
It’s not magic, but it can be quite effective.
I do think that print advertisements would be appropriate in some circumstances. For example, advertising about the AT opportunities (for cadets and staff) in mountain biking, climbing or walking magazines.
There really is no pleasing some people is there…
A lot of people have heard about Chris Hoy. Of course not everyone has heard of him, but I bet the vast majority have. Some of you think the “big announcement” hoo-har was unjustified. Oh come on, please. The fact people are criticising the ACO over that really is testament to ACC’s poor reputation throughout the Corps. Get a life. Of course this new asset needs to be used effectively so that cadet numbers increase (presuming that is the ultimate goal), but we haven’t had an opportunity to see that yet.
Just take a look at the grand scale of things. Ignoring HOW it was announced, the ACO has a new ambassador, and a well-known one at that.
[quote=“jacques” post=6677]I think it really depends on who you’re trying to target. Not all of the 60 million population will be interested and it’s unrealistic to try to target them all. Targeted advertising is what we should be focusing on. …
Limiting the number of people who see the message can actually be very effective[/quote]
There is a widely mentioned truth that the ATC is the best kept secret and doing it via social media is maintaining that truth.
Personally I want parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, businessmen, politicians local and national etc etc etc seeing about the ATC, not just spotty teenagers or ‘the converted’. I don’t put things in the local paper specifically for 12-13 year olds to read as I doubt many read it or have it as a favourite on their phones, tablets et al.
Putting adevrts in small volume activity specific magazines is OK up to a point, but if those come along expecting to be doing their thing all the time, they’d be in for a bit of a surprise. Expertise and enthusiasm in an area is fine, but the majority of squadrons want people to do all manner of things as well.
The only time targeting should be used IMO is in school, but even then if the school has a newsletter or similar and they are amiable get yourself mentioned, as we need parents to be supportive and encouraging.
the last one was on the BBC’s flagship childrens programme for 6 years and had her face beamed into about 6 million households a week.
how do you evaluate the success of that one?
Would have been nice if Chris Hoy said something on his own Twitter instead of talking about an email sent by a japanese friend and his campaign with evans cycles…
Not that I’m cynical at all!
This highlights the problem with celebrities, unless whatever they sign up to is
going to get them some brownie points and or
extremely close to their heart and or
high profile,
it just becomes A N Other thing in their diary.
He’ll be rolled out for high (for us) profile photo shoots and presentations with the usual grinning ninnies in attendance.
It would be good to know if he’d ever been an Air Cadet? Because to have a high profile name with actual Air Cadet experience, albeit a few years ago, would have been good for the cadets to see.
Much better than Jimmy Savile whos name is in a a book given out that lists famous ex cadets!
In Jimmy Savile’s hey day he would have been regarded as more than suitable.
Who is to say that anyone selcected doesn’t have some skeletons, that only come to light years later.
Saville didn’t have ‘skeletons in his closet’ which ‘only came out later’ - his entire career was dogged by whispers, allegations and police and media investigations (however limited). his ability to get away with his crimes was based almost entirely in his ability and willingness to cry libel and seek damages, and the willingness of society to overlook his less savoury aspects and concentrate on his ability to make them money, have celebrity ‘rub off’ on them (a most unfortunate turn of phrase) or get ratings.
obviously, now we live in a society far less dominated by money, celebrity, and ratings there is little danger of such things happening again.
oh, hang on…
now, i’m certainly not suggesting the Sir Chris Hoy has any such predilictions - nothing i’ve ever read or heard has suggested that he’s anything other than a decent, honourable man who works very, very hard for the causes he feels strongly about - i am however suggesting that HQAC aren’t really learning the big lessons of Saville by saying ‘here’s a famous person, and he’s going to wear our uniform and make us look great by association - and have i mentioned that he’s really famous, will boost our profile, and you should all be bloody grateful that he’s doing this’.