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Arena Magazine 2005 Issue 4 |
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Making the news work for Usdaw
We’ve been putting a lot of effort into supporting the Marks and Spencer recruitment drive with some success in terms of attracting media coverage and increasing membership, writes Media Officer Paul Clarke.
M&S works for us on a number of levels in terms of generating media interest. It is a company with no history of trade unionism, but the fact this has been the employees themselves demanding an independent voice has interested journalists in the story.
It also helps that M&S are such a well known brand with a branch in virtually every town where there is a newspaper or radio station. The media blitz did get off to a flying start with a prominent article in the business section of the Mail On Sunday which highlighted the specially designed Usdaw M&S web site and resulted in an amazing 700 hits in a matter of hours.
The media team issued a press release to the North West media highlighting the success of our pilot scheme in the region which was picked up by many local newspapers and radio stations. The campaign got a particularly good spread in the Liverpool Echo which has a wide circulation across Merseyside.
We've also been targeting the media along the South Coast where the Southern division is running recruitment campaigns in Bournemouth and Southampton and again the press releases have generated a lot of interest.
One of the fascinating things about doing Usdaw's media work is the sheer variety of our agreements. The North West division has struck up a unique deal with a group of Chinese restaurant workers in Manchester.
This was a great story for us to cover as the owners of the Cathay Dim Sum based in the massive Trafford Centre shopping centre actually approached us to sign up their employees and at the press launch the sheer enthusiasm of our new members was moving.
It also proves that even in areas like this with absolutely no history of trade union activity we can broker new agreements, recruit new members and get some good publicity out of it.
One of our jobs as a media department is to make sure that our major agreements get the positive publicity they deserve, but it is also rewarding to support new agreements and see new members join up determined to make a difference in their workplace.
- Don't forget if you need information, advice or help on any media issue you can contact Paul Clarke at Usdaw's Central Office on 0161 224 2804, or e-mail paul.clarke@usdaw.org.uk.
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