Tag: Europe

Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital NHS Trust wins ‘Best Campaign’ award at annual AHC conference

Posted by | Nov 23, 2007 | |

Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital NHS Trust has been presented with the ’Best Campaign’ award at the annual Association of Healthcare Communicators Conference.

Awards were presented to organisations demonstrating the best in industry communications. The ’Best Campaign’ award, sponsored by Royal Mail, was won for the trust’s publicity around the hospital’s bowel cancer screening programme. The activity was described by the judges as ’a superbly devised and delivered campaign, as a pilot to a national programme that has already helped to save lives’.

The campaign, which is continuing, involves posting self-test kits to the homes of people in the target age range. Recipients are asked to take the test and send it back to the hospital for analysis, and people whose results showed an abnormality are contacted so that further tests can be carried out. The approach, which also included activity with local radio to raise awareness of bowel cancer, has proved hugely successful, with a 73 per cent response rate in its first year.

Other award winners included Knowsley Health and Social Care NHS Trust, which was presented with the ’Award of Excellence’, and University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust which won the ’Best Internal Communications’ award.

This year’s conference explored the theme of ’reputation or obliteration’ through presentations, discussions and seminars with industry leaders. Speakers included David Blunkett, MP, and representatives from The Department of Health and Unison.

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Social networking sites to boost e-retailers this Christmas (UK)

Posted by | Nov 23, 2007 | |

This Christmas GBP 750m of sales will be generated by young people swapping tips on Bebo, MySpace and Facebook, according to a survey published today.

Research from the Royal Mail and thinktank The Future Foundation found that these social networking websites have now become a more powerful force in deciding what we buy than word of mouth.

“An online recommendation can be a lot more powerful,” said James Murphy, editorial director at The Future Foundation.

“Seeing something written down gives it added credibility, it hangs around for longer and people are able to compare and corroborate any advice.”

The poll of nearly 1,500 people found that 66 pct bought a product following an online recommendation, compared with 52 pct who made their purchase following a verbal tip off.

Social networking sites have been the internet success story of the past 12 months. Facebook, for example, expects to have more than 60 million members by the end of the year. MySpace already claims more than 200 million users.

Chris Robinson, managing director of e-retailer Firebox.com said online recommendation is the most powerful marketing tool the company has.

“We’ve tried to build it into our business model by doing things to create those conversations, such as delivering our goods in brightly coloured boxes and adding in a free bag of sweets. It gets people talking.”

The report forecasts that by 2012, 84 pct of consumers will have access to the internet and 63 pct will be using it to buy goods online.

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Hungarian competition office fines Magyar Posta and Lapker

Posted by | Nov 22, 2007 | |

The Competition Office (GVH) has penalised the state-owned postal service Magyar Posta and regional periodical distributor Lapker Ft 468 million (USD 2.71 milion) apiece, after it proved that the two companies had agreed not to enter each other’s markets.

The cartel began in 1998, when Magyar Posta sold its regional wholesale distribution service to Lapker. The regional distributor agreed that it would not venture into periodical distribution formerly controlled by Magyar Posta, which in return agreed to opt out of wholesale distribution to news sellers. The agreement was cancelled in 2005.

Magyar Posta asserted that it will bring a legal action to challenge the ruling.

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Courier loses 25 million people's data (UK)

Posted by | Nov 22, 2007 | |

When heading to work, most couriers probably don’t expect to find themselves at the centre of a large-scale loss of data leading to a political storm.

But for TNT one misplaced package has caused a national outcry, as CDs containing the personal data of 25 million people is now missing.

Information about anyone registered with HMRC as receiving child benefits is likely to be contained on the missing CDs, including birthdates, addresses and bank details, which leaves them vulnerable to identity fraud.

An HMRC employee sent the child benefit database from Tyne and Wear to London using courier firm TNT in October. They were not sent with a recorded delivery courier and as a result TNT has said it is unable to track the package.

“TNT operates a general internal mail system for the HMRC and other associated government agencies,” a statement for the company said.

“General mail does not carry a track and trace mechanism and hence it has been impossible, in this instance, to conduct an audit to identify if the item entered the system.”

While there are no doubt red faces all round, it is the HMRC employee and chancellor Alistair Darling who are suffering more than the courier. The staff member was placed under police protection, while the chancellor is fending off resignation calls.

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