This year has seen a change to the political campaigns we are used to, thanks to the rapid rise in social media use and also what could be perceived as an increase in the ferocity of political smear campaigns. It also promises to be the closest campaign in my lifetime.

From afar it could seem as though sites such as mydavidcameron and order-order and conversations on new media sites like Twitter are the big influence on voters. It’s easy to get caught up in the online world and think that the election will be won digitally.

Jason McCartney with Clare Callery

However, the real campaign for parliamentary seats lies much closer to home, as I discovered when I had the opportunity to shadow Jason McCartney, the Conservative parliamentary candidate for Colne Valley.

The constituency covers a large area: Lindley, Holmfirth, Meltham, Marsden, Brockholes, Slaithwaite, Honley, Linthwaite, New Mill, Golcar and Netherton.

The area is particularly important as there is only 3% between the Conservatives and Labour, who currently hold the seat.

If just 600 people change their vote, McCartney would become an MP and the Conservatives will be one seat closer to taking power in May.

So the pressure is on for the Leeds Metropolitan University lecturer, who took a sabbatical from his post at the start of the year, to campaign full time.

Pavement politics

The day began with a train journey to Slaithwaite, a small village near Huddersfield which also happens to be home to the Labour MP – McCartney’s competition. The task for the day was traditional door-to-door campaigning, speaking to locals right outside their homes. As I soon learnt, there are many advantages to this approach.

Jason McCartney (centre, in suit) with young supporters

The first is that the locals can place a face and a personality to the Conservative flyers they have probably been handed in town or received through their door. This is particularly important to McCartney, who feels that connecting to voters on a personal level is the key to gaining support.

As he has served in the RAF, he uses this to connect with people and show that he is passionate about his country. He likes to chat about Huddersfield Town, the local football team he follows. He can also make the most of the fact that he was born in Yorkshire and has lived in the area since the 1980s. These factors help him connect with his potential voters.

Secondly, McCartney has the chance to talk to locals about things that affect them and find out what they would like changed. This is a great opportunity for feedback; to find out what the locals want, to show them that you are willing to listen and to assure them that you take what they say on board.

In the feedback loop

Door to door campaigning

From a PR point of view, we understand how essential feedback is – but how hard it can be to get – so doorstep conversation is a fantastic tool. It is also the best time to tell your potential voters directly what you have done for the area. McCartney took the time to tell locals about how he had acted on issues that affect the area such as the snow over winter and vandalism.

Finally, McCartney also takes the chance to quash any of the rumours spread by other parties through word of mouth or in flyers. He says this has become a problem recently, and in fact during the day he received a call saying that a batch of flyers from another party was going out this morning with incorrect information about him in them.

The best way to correct the problem is to speak to those who have heard it directly and to reassure them of the facts, though it is slow and there is no guarantee you will set the story right with everyone that believes the untruths.

Door-to-door campaigning is very effective, but it is also incredibly hard work. As we move nearer the election, McCartney does two and a half hours of doorstep visiting every day and has visited tens of thousands of homes since he began his campaign.

He is polite to every home owner, no matter how they behave towards him and what party they support.

Money matters

We walked all around the hilly area of Slaithwaite on the Saturday we shadowed him, which was exhausting in itself. Campaign literature is also expensive, and McCartney takes part it lots of fundraisers like coffee mornings and pay-per-head dining events to pay for flyers and other literature. McCartney does not receive any wage until he is elected and becomes an MP or loses the seat and returns to work; a huge risk and commitment and an indication of his passion.

McCartney stands by the door-to-door approach and says it is 100% effective and truly is the best way to influence voters. Though Jason does actively blog and use Twitter, he says social media only has limited effect. Twitter is good for reaching journalists and blogging is a great way to keep the more tech-savvy voters involved.

However, many of the voters in the Colne Valley constituency are older people who don’t use the internet and won’t see social media campaigns online. For these people, the face-to-face approach is essential, and for those with a postal vote as they are unable to get around easily, it could be the only chance they get to find out information and ask their questions. Indeed when we shadowed McCartney, it was elderly voters who engaged most and seemed most interest in what he had to say and wanted to debate issues.

That’s not to say the younger generations aren’t involved. McCartney has been to Huddersfield University to speak to the students there, and the lecturers say more 18-25-years-olds are asking about politics than ever before. Further to this, there are a lot of young pro-Conservatives, as is evident with the Conservative Youth, the largest youth political party in the UK. There were members helping out that Saturday as well as other teenagers who wanted to get involved and learn more about politics.

So what was McCartney telling his supporters and potential voters? The main message was one that the Conservatives have been using to front their campaign, ‘Vote for Change’. He says he wants to fix the broken society, the troubled economy and the state of politics. He says if the Conservatives get in they will cut the number of MPs and reduce ministers’ pay and put the money saved back into targeted public spending, like more police officers on the streets.

McCartney met David Cameron when he visited the area a few weeks ago, and said that not only was he pleasant to talk to, but he has worked very hard to get where he is today in such a short space of time which deserves respect.

The main message I interpreted from the day was not so much support for any particular party, but more an understanding of how elections really work. Sitting at my desk absorbed in the likes of Twitter and Facebook, it is easy to believe that the digital world dictates what goes on outside and that the online smear campaigns and social media can shape an election. After seeing door-to-door campaigning, I know this couldn’t be further from the truth.

This election will be won on the doorstep. It’s a bold statement, but one I will stand by.

But how long will this remain the case? According to one of the Conservative Youth members I spoke to, this will be the last election as we know it. Others I have spoken to argue that doorstep campaigning has life left in it for a few years yet. We’ll know better when the votes are counted.

I’ve always thought ‘out of the box’ and so when my PR tutor told me she wanted to treat us all as professionals, I had a brainwave. Why merely act like a professional, why couldn’t I be one in my own right?

With that, I, along with my course-mates, launched Raw Sunshine PR, Yorkshire’s first student-run PR firm.

My name is Tom Lay and I’m the Accounts Co-ordinator for my own PR firm. That sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? In fact, it’s a lot more impressive than merely ‘my name is Tom Lay, and I’m studying PR’.

There are thousands of students studying PR, so what makes me special? My initial outline of who and what I am leaves an impression on people when I meet them –  they’re often eager to find out more about me and what this ‘firm’ was I speak about, given I’m relatively young and unknown in the PR industry.

No pain, no gain

I tell them what I’m telling you now – launching a PR firm run entirely by my course-mates and I has not been easy, sometimes it’s not even been pleasant, but it has been immensely rewarding. You see, unlike other PR firms that have been and gone in Yorkshire, we’re different.

We’re different in our approach to the industry because we ask ‘why’, and more to the point, we don’t charge for our services, instead opting to undertake work on an experience-only basis, which in my view, is priceless.

In an age where experience is key to getting that elusive role I mentioned earlier, there is no better way of standing out than to proactively find your own work, for your own company, in your own time and to be solely responsible for it. I could have taken the easy route and worked for a company who will guide me according to their practices, moulding me into the stereotypical student who graduates with a degree and a placement under their belt. That would be too easy though.

Sexual Health Week

When I started Raw Sunshine, I kept things close to home – our first project was publicising Sexual Health Week at the University itself, which was a challenge to say the least given most students’ reactions when you mention ‘Chlamydia’ to them in the canteen. My first ‘real’ achievement was getting my first press release published in the local media.

our first project was publicising Sexual Health Week at the University itself, which was a challenge to say the least given most students’ reactions when you mention ‘Chlamydia’  to them in the canteen

Sure, it’s an everyday thing for you guys sat there in your successful corporations, but to me, it was significant in the fact that someone was interested in what I had to say – they were interested in my PR firm, they were interested in me, they were interested in…..oh, actually they were interested in the glamour model I got on the front page!

Over the past year, I have seen Raw Sunshine go from strength to strength – I have personally had over 15 press releases published for various individuals and organisations. The obstacles I have encountered as a student-professional have at time been frustrating and tiring. Not everyone shares my enthusiasm, my drive and my eagerness to please, and so often it is the case where relying on other people doesn’t come through for me.

I have learnt that if you want something done, do it yourself and do it well.

New challenges ahead

As Raw Sunshine PR ventures into its second year, I’ve decided to raise the bar and set myself a personal challenge – this time, I’m not taking on my local media, I’m going to conquer the UK with my first national campaign, Bad Hair Day (www.badhairday2009.org.uk).

Bad Hair Day 2009 is my response to my mother’s personal struggle with alopecia – it’s a campaign to raise awareness of the condition, and will see people up and down the UK go out into the world with bad hair on 29 September this year.

I was warned by someone wiser than me that these things have a tendency to snowball out of control if they catch on, but if anything, this excites me and leaves me more determined to succeed. Based on a budget of blood, sweat and tears, Bad Hair Day has seen all four predominant alopecia charities in the UK work together under one umbrella for the first time since their inceptions.

I have received phone calls from celebrities and their agents, including Gail Porter, who want to have some sort of involvement in the cause. Media interest has been fantastic, with many health & beauty editors actually wanting to run a feature and not giving me the usual ‘if we’re interested we’ll run it’ story I’ve been accustomed to previously. It’s amazing what you can do with a good idea and some creativity!

I have received phone calls from celebrities and their agents, including Gail Porter, who want to have some sort of involvement in the cause

So, what’s the purpose of this article? Well, from my perspective, I wanted to share my experience with other PR students trying to make their mark in the industry. PR is, as we all know, a highly competitive, yet immensely rewarding career.

My advice for any student wanting a piece of it is: just do it. Don’t wait around for an opportunity, and don’t think you’re not ‘learned’ enough to take on the world – determination, confidence and creativity will win at the end of the day. We are the next generation of PR professionals, and there is no time like the present to start being one – don’t just act professional, live it.

About Raw Sunshine PR

Raw Sunshine was founded in 2008 by Huddersfield University first year PR students. Since inception, Raw Sunshine has worked with major companies including Fireplace warehouse & Kidzin2sport.co.uk. Raw Sunshine takes on work on a work experience basis, and we are always looking for new opportunities. www.rawsunshine.co.uk

About Bad Hair Day

Bad Hair Day 2009 is the UK’s first national day of awareness for the condition Alopecia. Working with Alopecia charities in the UK, September 29th will see thousands of people up and down the country wear bad hair to raise awareness for those whom the term ‘bad hair day’ means something more personal and emotional.

More details can be found at www.badhairday2009.org.uk

Twitter is based around the interaction between individuals using ‘Tweets’, a message no longer than 140 characters answering the question, ‘what are you doing?’. Also known as microblogging, it’s now being requested by more and more companies as part of their digital PR campaigns.

University of Huddersfield graduate Matthew Watson was recruited via Twitter last summer, shortly after tweeting, “Good News: Had last exam & finished uni! Bad News: Didn’t get job at AxiCom or Cake PR. Good News: It’s sunny & I’m having beers & bbq!”

When asked to describe how his recruitment took place, Matthew described the simple process that occurred as a result of twittering: “After finishing my final exam I discovered that I’d been turned down by some PR agencies I had been interviewed by. I tweeted this and went out to celebrate the end of my degree with my class mates. A few hours later I checked my emails and found a message from Stephen Waddington, MD, Rainier PR, who said he had been following me on Twitter and had noticed that I was looking for a job.”

Twitter, along with blogging, puts your personal brand out there for recruiters to see and understand what kind of person you are and whether you could have a noticeable impact if recruited to their company.

Since the website was launched in 2006, Twitter has been ranked as the third largest social networking site, with 6 million users and over 55 million visitors to the site every month.

Most recently, Hatch Communications tweeted a simple message, telling followers how recruitment may soon be on the cards for the agency – a method which took seconds to display and potentially saved thousands of pounds in advertising and agency costs.

Michael Litman, now a Social Media Strategist for Consolidated PR was also recruited via Twitter, after an online friend recommended him to the digital department.

“No recruitment agencies were involved, no external costs, no bells, no whistles. Just me and Twitter. That’s a pretty big deal when you think about the costs of recruitment for one new hire. You can eliminate all of those costs in one fell swoop and be seen to be a very forward thinking company at the same time.’’

Twitter is rapidly gaining followers as PR companies, celebrities and others catching onto the free social media opportunity. Celebrity, Stephen Fry has become known for his favouring of the site, tweeting several times a day and being asked to talk about the site regularly in interviews and at appearances.

Jayne’s background is in journalism and PR, as she says, “writing and communicating about where we live and how we live”.

She worked in London for national newspapers and magazines for 14 years, and contributed to The Times’ Bricks & Mortar property supplement, The Daily Telegraph’s Property Club section, and House Beautiful magazine. Her column for the Yorkshire Post, which covers current affairs, appears every Thursday.

Jayne will specialise in teaching media relations to students on a wide range of courses including Advertising, and Hospitality Management. She joins Eileen Jones and Keith Butterick delivering PR modules across four different schools in the university, including students studying music promotion at the university’s Barnsley centre.

She now lives in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, and has edited four local history. Her PR work includes promoting Qdos Dance Theatre, a company which uses modern dance to explore social issues, and copy-writing for Finn Communications, the award-winning consumer agency in Leeds.

There was also a Punch and Judy booth, a couple of picnic baskets, three treasure chests and a watering can.

All were used by students as part of an assessment designed to test their creativity as well as demonstrating some key practical skills. And each highlighted a town or village for which the students – at the end of their second year – prepared a publicity campaign.

Inside the novel and original “containers” were press releases, feature articles, business letters and an event plan, all designed for potential presentation to journalists in a press pack.

“We know that journalists will be more interested if we can entertain them, or provide them with something unusual,” said Sophie Fenna, creator of the Punch and Judy set, whose portfolio set out a PR campaign to revitalise the image and reputation of Blackpool.

“Of course it wouldn’t be possible to replicate these ideas for large numbers of journalists,” said course tutor Eileen Jones. “But we want to stimulate and encourage the concept of creativity, and the students respond with great enthusiasm to this assignment every year.”

Melanie Brydon’s giant meat pie was made by Lancashire manufacturers Holland’s Pies as part of a promotion for Accrington. Carly Newnham’s tiny coffin contained publicity material for a “ghost walk” which she had devised around Darlington. And Melanie Earle’s treasure chest contained plans for a children’s festival in Halifax, which has been adopted by the local tourism office and will actually take place in July.

Andy Green, director of Wakefield-based Green Communications and  the university’s visiting research fellow in PR, and author of Creativity in Public Relations, is a keen supporter of the portfolio assignment. “This tests the lively minds of the students and produces some ingenious results,” he said.

Photo shows Sophie Fenna with her Punch and Judy press pack