Reports

15 April 2012

4th February 2013

In this latest sector report we explore the customer engagement cycle for visitor attraction brands, and ask how marketers can use digital to complete the cycle so that visitors become their online advocates and content providers?

Using a model which defines the stages of online engagement attractions have with their visitors, we offer examples of best practice from a sample of 200 attractions’ digital landscapes in the UK and Australia. The model is intended to make you look at your digital presence holistically and imaginatively, taking marketers on a customer journey starting with having the desire for a day out, through research and engagement to actually attending an attraction and subsequently talking about the experience.

The report contains numerous tips, examples and methods for measuring, testing, improving and refining an attraction’s online landscape. Importantly all of the recommendations are aimed at increasing footfall and the bottom line for any commercial destination.

If you are interested in this report you may want to come along to our dream day out seminar, which explores and expands upon the findings of the report, in London on the 21st February, for more information visit the seminars section of our website.

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1 November 2012

What does it take to succeed online for a Scottish business today?

In the context of recent announcements that Diageo is set to invest £1billion in Scotch whisky production over the next five years, this report explores how well 20 of Scotland’s top single malt brands are meeting the day to day demands of the digital age. Are they being efficient in building awareness in the digital space? Are they meeting the online expectations of their customers and potential customers domestically and internationally? Are they prepared to leverage the more general awareness of single malt that will be inevitably created when Diageo and others up the marketing ante?

Of particular interest to drinks brands, but of general interest to any Scottish Industry that looks to reach their customers through building digital awareness, engagement and loyalty, this report compares and contrasts the ways that some of Scotland’s top single malt brands are representing themselves online on their websites, socially, internationally and in the mobile environment.

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5 November 2012

In this whitepaper, Head of Digital Marketing, Lindsay Herbert explains how to conquer the web using seven strategies to drive traffic to your website and distinguish your brand from the rest.

Lindsay provides quick-fire tips to help you succeed, beginning with the most critical to avoid being wiped off the map completely. From the best ways to engage the user to crowd sourcing, or simply just ensuring you are making the most of your online advertising, this whietpaper delivers top level details to get you thinking about how best you and your business can conquer the web.

If you would like a copy of this whitepaper, please email your request to reports@precedent.co.uk.

If you are interested in this report you may want to come along to our free Digital Marketing Seminars , for more information visit the seminars section of our website.

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28 September 2012

In this paper we have explored accessibility beyond the policies, deadlines and have to’s.

We were also curious about how accessible the social media networks really are and how people with disabilities use mobile and social media.

We have looked at the bigger picture first followed by the impact of accessibility, social media and mobile when considering your strategy, user experience, design, development and content.

This paper has been a truly collaborative effort between all of Precedent’s offices in Australia and the UK. Our collective knowledge and expertise will give you great insights in to what you should be thinking about, planning for and working on accessibility, social and mobile wise when your next web project comes along.

Request a copy of this whitepaper to learn how your organisation can provide a great customer experience for everyone.

You can obtain your free copy now either through this page or by emailing reports@precedent.com

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28 May 2012

This industry whitepaper builds on the concepts presented in last year's Targeting Mobile paper, updating all details to the those of mobile and tablet technology in 2012. It is a guide for marketers to help inform mobile strategies and gives an analysis of the capabilities and limitations of each mobile option.

Mobi, Responsive, Framework and Native are considered in turn and measured against each other in a handy matrix. We know it isn't always easy to get the ball rolling, and the paper offers helpful guidance to make it happen, covering the issues of content, images and data.

This paper provides an in depth exploration of the solutions and gives you the tools to help make crucial decisions ensuring you choose the right option for your business.

It presents statistics from around the world to highlight key areas for development based on region, and discusses trends that will affect the way people use mobile devices and the internet in future.

Request your free copy now either through this page or by emailing reports@precedent.co.uk

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15 April 2012

In this report we look at some of the issues facing membership organisations and ask whether there are digital answers to some of the biggest communications' challenges they face.

We also ask whether these organisations are really embracing the opportunities that the contemporary digital landscape presents, and if they have the necessary marketing and brand strategies in place to leverage them.

What did we do?

In order to inform and build on our understanding of the sector we conducted an online survey where over 60 different membership organisations answered a number of questions about the internal and external communications challenges that they face and their use o the digital space. We then conducted a series of interviews with senior stakeholders from a variety of different organisations.

What does the report contain?

The report is framed around seven themes. It offers a series of digital actions relative to different stages of the membership lifecycle that organisations could potentially employ to address the issues. Finally the report emphasises the need for coherent digital and brand strategies, and reveals a representative framework model which all organisations should aspire to.

The themes covered include:

Communicating the value of membership
Too much content, too many sources
The right community for the right audience
Knowing when to leave members alone
Mobile is here, now
Our most valued asset: the magazine
Physically growing or digitally reaching

Finally, the report will bring these themes together and illustrate how co-ordinated digital and brand strategies can be developed to ensure organisation-wide buy-in and communication coherence.

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11 July 2011

What's the report all about?

In this, the latest communications report compiled and produced by Precedent, we assess how financial service companies in the UK are leveraging the broader web to engage with their customers online and whether they are beginning to embrace the opportunities that mobile platforms provide.

The conversation about their services and products (and therefore their reputation) is increasingly being conducted away from their websites, in the social media space. The question is, how well are they engaging in those conversations? How well are they using them to enhance their reputation, and ultimately drive business to their websites?

Similarly we wanted to look at how well their websites cater to the needs of the man on the street – are the features and services that they are likely to expect available and easy to use?

Which organisations did we look at?

We wanted to look at a broad range of companies offering a selection of products and services in the following categories:
• Banks
• Building societies
• Asset management
• Insurers, life and pensions
• Online only financial services firms

In order to select companies we took a random sample of 10 from the most well-known high street brands in each category. Despite some of them being less well-known, we felt it was important to include companies that are providing a product, or service, purely online in a distinct category, since we anticipate that these will be the most innovative online and potentially provide the best practice and benchmarks to which the others might aspire.

What were we looking for?

Our assessment was mostly quantitative running across digital channels including web, blogs, social, mobile and video/audio. A key question will be the degree of integration across these channels, and therefore the cohesion of the user-journey. Where appropriate we identified and featured examples of best and worse practice.

Broad themes discovered whether channels are being used appropriately to deliver thought leadership and insight, customer services, marketing and campaigning (in promotion of products and services) and transactional services.

What did we find?

We identified which categories of financial service companies in the UK are making the most use of the contemporary digital landscape, along with examples of best practice that all may learn from.

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1 September 2009

We are pleased to unveil the latest report in our education series,Alumdergraduates – Aligning the alumni and student experience online. The report details the findings from practical as well as desk research, and includes numerous examples. The new report suggests that more should be made of the alumni from the very beginning, encouraging students to think of it as something present and something that they can get involved with from the start. It challenges accepted perceptions and suggests that an online structure should be provided to allow all students, new and old, to feel like a part of the fabric of the university they attend/attended.

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19 March 2012

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) is going to start processing complaints about the lack of compliance to the cookie directive from 26 May 2012. That's quite soon! For some time there has been a fair bit of ambiguity about what this actually means. Unhelpfully, it took the ICO until December 2011 to outline its guidance.

We've tried to distil that guidance down into a usable form for you. In this whitepaper we outline a 10 step process to take you through all the factors you need to consider when attempting to comply with the law. We also illustrate some practical ways to implement your solution.

Request your free copy to make sure you know what is expected of your company and that you are complying with the cookie law by 26 May.

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8 February 2011

It is increasingly evident that mobile has established itself in the hearts and minds of consumers as well as in the strategies of organisations. With our mobile phone, whether we are aware of it or not, we are effectively carrying "mini computers" in our pocket.

The opportunity to leverage this computing power, to become part of people's daily activities and interactions is there for the taking; 2010 was the year that mobile really started to deliver ROI, with £2 billion in global mobile sales.

Quite simply, mobile growth continues to rise and those organisations that embrace the mobile platform put themselves in a stronger position to reach more people.

Request a copy of this, the first in our series of whitepapers, to find out more about mobile and how to make it work for you.

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15 November 2010

In this, the most recent of our reports in to communications with in the education sector, we discuss the idea of HEIs being 'lobal'.

Challenging the old mantra of 'think global, act local' this reports considers switching it to, 'think local, act global'. It encourages UK HEIs to make an authentic effort to understand the ideas, concerns and expectations of international students, or the region in which they live, and use those insights to shape their offer and portfolio accordingly.

This 'lobal' approach allows institutions to respond to market requirements and opportunities and build a global reputation for being international student-minded and for delivering real value in specific sectors.

To receive your free copy of this report and discover its findings on the future of true international communications for universities, please register online or email reports@precedent.co.uk.

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1 April 2010

What does a council website need to do? Who visits them and why?

This groundbreaking report analyses the websites of 101 shire councils, 22 city councils, 11 town councils and nine regional councils against a range of criteria.

It challenges local authorities to take notice of the importance of their web presence and reputation online.

While looking at best practice and trends, it also considers new innovations and technologies that are opening up across public service sector websites.

It provides councils with handy hints on where they may be going wrong as well as how they can hope to rectify this for a clear and effective online offering.

Please register your interest if you would like to receive a copy of this report.

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22 February 2010

Communicating and campaigning in the third sector online: more than just your website, it's your web presence that counts

The report investigates the web sites and further online campaigning strengths of 60 charities from four income brackets and across five broad ‘sectors'.

It not only assesses these websites against a set of basic criteria, but also examines the ability of the charities' websites to communicate their message(s), encourage action and integrate with the broader media landscape to campaign and encourage involvement as well as support that involvement.

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6 July 2009

Fierce competition, differential fees and a looming ‘sub-prime’ crisis mean tough times ahead for the UK Higher Education sector. With more ‘established’ universities focussing on the value of a ‘traditional’ British university education, our latest report explores the opportunities, innovations and trends for the ‘modern’ universities in the UK Higher Education sector.

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3 August 2009

In the face of differential fees and a fully-fledged ‘credit crunch’, the challenge of distinguishing the offer of traditional universities is felt across the UK Higher Education sector. With the increasingly commercial, customer-focussed approach of ‘modern’ universities, we explore the ‘traditional’ trends – and some of the most adventurous websites seen in the sector.

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9 November 2008

How business-like are Foundation Trusts online? Web is now an integral part of improving service delivery and patient experience, helping to face the challenge of marketing direct to the public. Our report explores the best practice, trends and innovations creating efficiencies across the sector, and making the ‘patient-centred’ mantra come to life online.

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24 July 2009

What does a Primary Care Trust site actually do? Who visits them and why? This report challenges PCTs to take notice of the importance of their web presence and reputation. It explores the best practice, trends and innovations which are opening up across healthcare sites and gives PCTs handy hints on where they may be going wrong and how they can rectify this to make for a clear and effective online offering to their public.

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