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Your next copywriter could cost you 70% more than you think

By Jeff Edis, Senior Copywriter and founder at Words Words Words UK We all know a new hire is going to cost more than the headline salary. But the temptation to take on a talented copywriter regardless is very real. They who can turn disenchanted clients into ambassadors for the agency. Beat heavy duty agencies in an odds defying pitch. And carry off a haul of creative award. Results in that all too human failing. The dangerous condition of self-deception. So, while we’re perfectly happy to concede there’ll be such things as NI, pension contributions and the cost of recruiting, we [...]

2023-08-24T10:19:13+00:00August 23rd, 2023|Blog|

Manchester firms collaborate to launch new PR apprenticeship

Replicating the spirit of the MPA, two highly respected Manchester based businesses have forged a new alliance to help alleviate the talent shortage in PR and create new jobs in the sector. After ten years of success in delivering social media apprenticeships, The Juice Academy recently announced new partnerships to launch new apprenticeship qualifications including PR and Communications with teaching delieverd by practitioners from leading PR agency, Smoking Gun. Businesses open to employing a PR apprentice are being sought for the new apprenticeship which begins on 31 August. A maximum of 20 businesses will join the first cohort, adding a [...]

2023-06-19T13:40:48+00:00June 19th, 2023|Blog|

MPA Blog Share: Rubbish In, Rubbish Out. (Computers and Creative Briefs, a Cautionary Tale).

By Jeff Edis, Senior Copywriter and founder at Words Words Words UK To be historically correct, the phrase first emerged as ‘Garbage In, Garbage Out’. It’s attributed to George Fuechsel, an American IBM technical instructor, who came up with it in the early 1960’s. Whichever version you go with, it expresses with unique clarity the challenges that faced computerisation in its early days. And whilst we’re talking history, the originator of this penetrating thought was George Babbage the father of the computer. A mathematician, philosopher and mechanical engineer, Babbage was the originator of the digital, programmable machine. Retelling an early [...]

2023-06-15T11:48:12+00:00June 15th, 2023|Blog|

New podcast launch – ‘Inside Stories from MPA’

by Kate Cocker, Purposeful Podcasts “Inside Stories from the MPA” is the new podcast from the MPA that shares stories from the personalities behind the news, events and initiatives in the communications industry in Manchester. You can hear the first episode here. Produced by Purposeful Podcasts, we asked the production team to explain a bit about why a podcast will matter so much to the MPA members.  What does podcasting have in common with the MPA?  They’re both ALL about connecting communities.   The MPA represents the entire breadth of media, digital, and creative businesses in Manchester. It connects your community [...]

2023-03-23T12:31:11+00:00March 23rd, 2023|Blog, MPA, News|

MPA Blog Share: ‘Resolute’

by Danny Turnbull, Agency Consultancy Services I came back to work (well my underground home office) a few weeks ago for a ‘soft landing’ into 2023, having properly switched off for the first Christmas in a few after a hugely busy back quarter to last year where I foolishly only took 2 days leave and onboarded 6 new clients. This was of course followed by the inevitable Christmas day crash/man flu which became an annual tradition when I was doing demanding agency roles. This isn’t one of the slew of resolution posts you’re probably already drowning under however I have [...]

2023-01-24T11:32:54+00:00January 23rd, 2023|Blog|

The power of an unknown voice

Marylou Thistleton-Smith, Owner, The Voiceover Gallery Ltd A great voice can open up a world. It can transport you, in a similar way that a book can, letting your imagination for a character run wild. When you have no idea what the voice over actor looks like, those characters on screen become the true embodiment of the voice. A brilliant example of this is the Cadbury Bunny. She was sensual, dreamy and oh so tempting, with all her talk of relaxing and taking things easy, with a Caramel bar. Now if we’d all known that the voice actually belonged to [...]

2022-11-03T12:11:09+00:00November 2nd, 2022|Blog|

MPA Blog Share: ‘The death of AVE and the never-ending challenge of PR measurement’

by Rebecca Jones, Head of PR at McCann Manchester PR measurement has always landed with clients alongside a heavy dollop of scepticism. Sure, there’s the number of pieces of coverage, the reach, the sentiment but what do these really deliver? What do they mean for a brand or business? When a PR campaign lands and becomes the subject of the water cooler moment, there’s no denying its power and impact, but effectively measuring the impact of a successful day to day press office is harder to do. As an industry, we continue to struggle to connect PR results with genuine [...]

2022-10-21T09:23:23+00:00October 20th, 2022|Blog, MPA|

10 distinctly successful ways of becoming a GREAT PLACE TO WORK

by Dan Sodergren, co founder of www.yourflock.co.uk There are many different ways to become a great place to work. Often, they are tied into a purpose. Or a mission. Or a way of the whole company working together. But also, they can come from an organisation that finds cleverer ways to recognise and reward their employees. This former point that recognition is key to keeping your employees. And team members are happy and productive. BUT, this giving of recognition is not something British bosses are good at. As Britain lacks in the charts of recognition – something many of us [...]

2022-10-13T07:49:39+00:00October 13th, 2022|Blog|

MPA Blog Share: ‘Why I took away my team’s job titles’

Today's MPA Blog Share comes from Jo Whiteley of the if agency. Jo’s enjoyed (& endured!) many years in the creative industry, starting out as an art director & working her way to CD. Fiercely competitive, Jo hops out of bed come rain or shine, with the same ambition & passion for concepts and innovation as she did on day one. With her infectious enthusiasm, she thrives on nurturing ideas & creative talent. Grab a brew and enjoy a read of Jo's blog below and if you would like to share your view, recent experience or point of view, get in touch! [...]

2022-07-22T07:53:53+00:00July 22nd, 2022|Blog|

MPA Inspiration Awards: Celebrating Manchester’s top-class student talent

As the MPA Inspiration Awards are now live for 2022, it seems like the perfect opportunity to look back on some of the amazing young talent from our Student Award category over recent years. Manchester Metropolitan University are strong supporters of the MPA. Jeff McCarthy, Senior Lecturer, Digital Marketing and MPA board member, continues to collaborate with us to help nurture and secure future talent for our industry. Jeff commented, “Since launching the Student Award category in 2016 we have seen winners and finalists gaining employment with MPA members as a direct result of being at the Awards evening. Also more [...]

2022-04-27T13:36:57+00:00April 26th, 2022|Blog, MPA|
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