As we look forward to 2012, Interdirect is indulging in a moment of nostalgia to look back on the top 20 slogans of all time.

From the meaning of beans to the power of love, the top 20 slogans chosen by readers of Creative Review magazine, experts, notable figures in advertising and design, and a panel of experts including copywriter Nick Asbury, range from the commercial to the political.

These stand-out slogans remind us of some of the best ad campaigns that have now become imbed not only into popular culture, but into everyday language. Could you imagine what the Marmite brand would be without the Love it or Hate it phrase?

Some take form of imperatives, some are descriptors, one poses a question, another offers an answer...but all provide an incentive to change our behaviour by smuggling a commercial message into a winning piece of wordplay.

Top 20 Slogans:

1. Beanz Meanz Heinz – Heinz (1967)
2. Just Do It – Nike (1987)
3. Does Exactly What It Says On the Tin – Ronseal (1994)
4. Make Love Not War – Various (1965)
5. Every Little Helps – Tesco (1993)
6. Have a Break. Have a Kit Kat – Kit Kat (1957)
7. Vorsprung Durch Technik – Audi (1982)
8. Think Different – Apple (1997)
9. It is. Are You? – Independent (1986)
10. It’s Finger Lickin’ Good – KFC (1950’s)
11. Say It With Flowers – FTD (1917)
12. Keep Calm and Carry On – HM Gov. (1939)
13. It’s the Real Thing – Coca-Cola (1940-)
14. You Either Love It or Hate It – Marmite (1996)
15. Because I’m Worth It - L’Oréal (1971)
16. Snap! Crackle! Pop! - Kellogg’s (1932)
17. Never Knowingly Undersold – John Lewis (1925)
18. Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité – France (1789)
19. Refreshes the Parts Other Beers Cannot Reach – Heineken (1973)
20. No-One Likes Us, We Don’t Care – Millwall FC (1970)

Interdirect is pleased to announce the appointment of Pete Joy to the agency’s talented digital development team.

Pete joins us from website company, Yippidoo.com where he gained over three years experience in design work, marketing and programming.

With a wealth of knowledge, Pete will be providing essential design work, flash development as well as website build for Interdirect. With his “get up and go” enthusiasm and eagerness to continue to learn new things, Pete is yet another valuable asset to Interdirect’s ever-expanding team. 

Interdirect’s We’ve Got it Covered Competition has received a fantastic response from our Facebook fans; as well as the team at Interdirect - check out the photo above from Interdirect's PR Director, Debbie Lamb who captured an incredible before and after shot of Dubai covered in a sandstorm.

Thank you to all those who have uploaded photos showing us how you’ve got it covered. Our top 3 have now been chosen, so visit the Interdirect Facebook Wall to see if it’s you.

Don’t forget it’s you who decides who will get their hands on a paintballing experience for 6 or a snow session for 4! Vote for your winner by clicking ‘like’ on your favourite photo in the "Shortlist" album and the entry that receives the most likes will win one of two fantastic prizes.

The winner will be announced on Monday 6th February.

The irony of public relations is that it often gets a bad rep when being considered as a service within a company’s marketing mix.

PR is often misunderstood – perhaps because there a so many different types of PR, and the role itself is made up of lots of different facets, or in most cases companies just feel more comfortable with ‘tangible’ marketing activities.

It is no surprise that myths about PR have developed. Milton Keynes’ leading full service agency, Interdirect, reconsiders some of the myths and provides a few home truths – in today’s media age, public relations really should be a ‘must have’ on every business leaders marketing list.

Myth: PR is easy, and can be done by anyone.
Truth: You wouldn’t get someone without experience in sales to sell your home? So why would you trust someone with no industry knowledge to generate a rewarding PR strategy for your business? Expertise matter, and Interdirect’s dedicated PR team is made up of experienced PR professionals, a combined knowledge of more than 20 years in both agency and client side PR.

Myth: PR agencies “make stuff up”.
Truth: Making false claims doesn’t benefit anyone, so no good PR agency will tell lies. ID:PR believes in finding the best possible angles to showcase your products and services.

Myth: You need to be a big company to afford PR.
Truth: ID:PR’s diverse range of clients include national standards approvals services and local charities right through to financial services training providers each with their own objectives, but with one aim: to get results. We know that in today’s economic climate no organisation can afford not to stick to budget, and we understand that you want bang for your buck.
    
Myth: To get good PR, you need a big agency.
Truth: The saying ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’ applies here. A big agency with glamorous offices and A-list clients may be impressive, but a smaller agency, like Interdirect, guarantees you a closer relationship, enabling us to understand exactly what each client wants.

Myth: Only PR agencies with vast experience in your field can achieve results.
Truth: ID:PR boasts clients in a variety of sectors and with our knowledge, experience and attention to detail, our PR team can adapt its exciting and innovative ideas to suit your business; whatever sector you are in.

Myth: Getting good PR is about wining and dining journalists.
Truth: PR is about communicating with the press in an effective way to build long term relationships. For ID:PR, it’s about having the journalist on board with your client’s products and service through journalist ‘meet and greets’, media research and  monitoring, not through a three course meal. You can’t control the press; instead you can work alongside journalists to put your organisation in the eye of the media storm.

Myth: PR is about who you know, not what you know.
Truth: Yes, it’s important to build long terms relationships with journalists, but without valuable content these relationships are worthless. If your story isn’t newsworthy, the journalist isn’t going to run your story just because they like you...

Myth: The media is only interested in negative stories.
Truth: Stories that are interesting to readers are ones that offer an insight and get the facts across in an interesting way. These are the stories that will go to press, and ID:PR knows how to write them.

Myth: Digital PR is an excuse to jump on the social media bandwagon.
Truth: Digital media has given PR professionals a new platform that’s 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to directly engage with customers and drive marketing campaigns like never before. With a background in digital solutions, ID:PR understands that social media isn’t going anywhere and cannot be ignored, but it’s also about  careful management, monitoring and support.

Myth: PR will generate instant sales.
Truth: One-hit-wonders are common in PR; they are at the top of the hot-topics list once their video goes viral but just as quickly, they crash back down to earth. PR is a long term commitment not a short term solution and it does take time. The key for any organisation is steady success through a well planned and thought out PR strategy, which is unique to the client, and gets results.
    
To find out more about how ID:PR can work for your business cal 0845 121 5566 or email pr@interdirect.co.uk.

Interdirect has kicked off the New Year in style with the launch of its new website, demonstrating the full offering of the agency across digital, PR and marketing.

The new website highlights the progress and achievements that the vibrant agency has made over the past year, with contemporary design and bespoke functionality thanks to Interdirect’s advanced content management system, SiteMachine.

With its PR and marketing divisions well established and its digital services continuing to expand, the website hightlights the ultimate full service package that Interdirect can now offer.

For further information call 0845 121 55566 or email pr@interdirect.co.uk.

As a full service agency Interdirect knows the strength of multi-channel marketing to deliver significant ROI and brand exposure. Our ability to provide expert digital, PR and marketing services under one roof, ensures we have every tool possible to create the strategy and services required by our clients for a truly innovative multi-channel campaign.

2011’s report published by the IPA found that multi-channel campaigns are more effective than single channels to increase return on investment and this last year saw some truly innovative examples from the world’s biggest brands. 

One of the most impressive had to be Bing’s “Decode Jay-Z”. This campaign seamlessly integrated web, mobile, social media, outdoor, print and PR to create an epic location based campaign and game which captivated the imagination of a new young audience and proved that inspiration and engagement can really deliver results.

“Decode Jay-Z” gained 1m Facebook fans, an average player engagement of 11 minutes per visit and an 11.7% increase in visits to the search engine.

Click here to take a look at some other multi-channel campaign highlights from 2011.