Jaspan Unveils Prolific North

Launching by stealth is obviously all the rage with Bowie last week and prolific entrepreneur and journalist Nick Jaspan today.

Nick and his team have unveiled Prolific North a new destination for news, opinion, features and gossip about the comings and goings of creative and media companies in the North.

The trained observers amongst us will spot a similarity with ‘How-Do’, Jaspan’s last major publishing venture. This is a better product. It covers a wider geographical area, it’s a better design and a much better name. When How Do first launched I didn’t get the idea of a web based publication with a limited and defined geographical reach. I do now. How-Do left a void. The north of England and particularly Manchester is a powerful source of creative, digital and media expertise and it needs a regional voice. The emergence of MediaCityUK, with the BBC, dock10 studios and ITV set to arrive in March elevates the status of Manchester to that of a global media player. There’s a great deal to talk about.

I had just a little forewarning of the launch as I was honoured to be asked to write Prolific North’s first opinion piece, but there was little or no pre-publicity. The reaction to the launch of the title today has been vocal and overwhelmingly positive. At Rule 5 we’re delighted that Prolific North has arrived.

2013, The Old and The New

The phrase ‘out with the old and in with the new’ is one commonly associated with the start of a New Year.

This year’s biggest trend predictions aren’t all about the ‘future forward’ however. As The Trend Hunter 2013 Forecast reports, brands looking to innovate will embrace the past as well as the future.

Continuing the fashion for retro design, the organisation predicts “antiqued imagery” akin to the Polaroid finish of yesteryear will be the big advertising influence. Consumers, too, are embracing the “deliberate vintage” effect thanks to the growing number of photography apps such as the market leader, Instagram.

Further drawing on the past, brands will look to engage consumers with a trip down memory lane, developing products and experiences with a strong focus on nostalgia.

In sharp contrast the digital revolution will continue to drive advancements in retail.

Enhancing the shopper experience and achieving competitor stand out is the name of the game with virtual fitting rooms and augmented reality store greeters just a couple of the applications making their way in store.

And in today’s time precious world, convenience is the key to unlocking the potential for growth.

Watches that enable the wearer to socially connect, work as a credit card, game and tell the time aren’t a thing of the future, they’re here and now. Apple, it is rumoured, is working with Intel on a smart watch that could go on sale in the first half of 2013.

And consumers needn’t worry about finding the time to plan a repeat shopping trip. The subscription model so successfully adopted by publishers will, The Trend Hunter predicts, continue to break into the wider consumer market in 2013 with fashion, interior and intimates stores realising the opportunity of ‘subscribed purchases.’

Proving to be an ever popular and increasing trend for 2013 is the roll out of modular restaurants and retail stores. Satisfying consumer demand for new and fresh retail experiences whilst continuing to transform empty units and brighten the UK High Street, this is one trend we’re pleased to see remain in fashion.

The Trend Hunter compiles the latest in cutting edge fashion, interior, lifestyle and brand ideas. For further information on this year’s top 20 forecasted trends visit http://www.trendhunter.com/tv/trends-in-2013-forecast-video

We’re Hiring in MediaCityUK

We’re hiring two PR people to join our start-up in MediaCityUK. We’ve only been here a few weeks but it’s an incredibly exciting location (the shot above was taken this week). We want a strong account executive (but we’d consider an account manager too). You would ideally need consumer PR experience and an understanding of the use of social media in PR campaigns. We want an ambitious personality with a determination to succeed and good writing skills are essential. You can apply via our website.

Rule 5 Launches in MediaCityUK

Our new PR agency has officially launched. We are based in MediaCityUK, the development that is home to BBC North, Salford University and ITV from next March. The founding directors Rob Brown and Julie Wilson were formerly with TBWA\ owned Staniforth and have been joined by other members of the now defunct Manchester agency.

“We chose MediaCityUK because of the rare concentration of media businesses, new and old. There is also a huge amount of creative talent and people that we want to work with to create media content” said Rob Brown. “The old network advertising/marketing/PR model is broken beyond repair. PR companies are becoming much more aligned with media organisations channelling information in written form, as well as audio and visual.”

The new agency launches with clients in the food, sports and media sectors. Rule 5 combines traditional PR and media expertise with a strong digital offer but won’t specialise in one or the other “the boundary between on and off line doesn’t really exist.” From launch Rule 5 will build and manage online communities, monitor and create content without compromising its relationships with journalists, editors and producers. “We’re equally at home with Twitter and the Times.”

PR Firm to Launch in Manchester this Week

On Friday ‘Rule 5’ will be Manchester’s (and the UK’s) newest public relations firm. We have an office in MediaCityUK and the infrastructure is all in place. Manchester is a great city to be in right now. A new study by Oxford Economics estimates that the region will see output growth of 3% by 2014, nearly 1% higher than the UK as a whole. Media city also has a unique concentration of media and creative talent. Needless to say we are excited.

We’ve been active on Twitter for a few weeks now and there are three questions that regularly come up:

1. Where will you be based? – We’ve answered that.

2. Will you be hiring? – We will. We are a small team but we’ll be announcing recruitment plans imminently.

3. Why are you called ‘Rule 5’ – We’re not going to give a straight answer to that but there are five options.

Roll on Friday.

RULE 5