The JAM Jar

Although busy, this week at JAM Towers has been decidedly less hectic than the previous one.  Last week’s jammed-packed schedule can be largely attributed to the media visits which took place on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Dawn Hesketh and I, armed with the tightest of itineraries, journeyed down to that there London to update an array of journalists with the latest my Travel Cash news.

Whilst Dawn trotted off to see The Independent, Money Saving Expert and The Daily Express, I met with the lovely Amanda Statham (of Cosmo and You and Your Wedding fame), The Guardian’s affable Rupert Jones and Nick Soldinger from Nuts magazine who, coincidentally, is one of the nicest chaps you’re ever likely to meet.

iPad in hand and clients in tow, our meetings were mainly kept short and sweet (although I did enjoy a leisurely latte out in the sun with The Sun!) as we efficiently spread the word about the latest developments from the prepaid currency card.

And whilst getting on and off heaving tube carriages on a hot day wasn’t entirely pleasant, and our feet were blistered after marching for miles around the capital, our meetings were all a success and should result in some cracking coverage. Hurrah!

Now, nestled safely back at our desks with a Family Circle box of biscuits within reaching distance, we’re enjoying some relative ‘down time’. Not that we can afford to get too comfortable mind, as our next excursion to the capital, with our brand spanking new client Azimo, is less than two weeks away.

Oh, and if you’re wondering just what the exciting my Travel Cash news is, you’ll just have to watch this space…

When I was little I dreamed about what I’d be when I grew up – full-time princess, dolphin trainer, chocolate taster… but as I got older being a princess became less desirable (and realistic) so I had to make other plans for the future.

After embarking on my Business degree I started to explore my career options and decided that PR was the area for me. I did some research on PR companies in the area and that’s when I stumbled upon JAMpr. With it being a small, yet successful company, I knew for sure that I’d get a real understanding of what PR is all about.

On my first day the whole team were very welcoming, so I felt at ease immediately.

At JAM you hit the ground running, so you can gain as much experience in each discipline as possible, it’s not just about making tea! I began my placement with doing some research on JAM’s clients, focusing especially on Chubbsafes, who has recently launched a new range of domestic safes. I was tasked with selling-in the news of the new range to national and regional media to try and secure coverage – if this taught me anything it’s that no one actually reads their emails!! By the end of the week however, I’d successfully secured my first piece of coverage (Wahoo!!).

My second week brought lots of research for a new client that we could potentially work with – it was nice to be given the opportunity to have an input in JAM’s future.

I’m thoroughly enjoying my time with JAM and have learned so much already. I would recommend anyone who’s thinking of a career in PR to get some experience and try it out, you never know, it could be your dream job!!

If you’re interested in a placement with JAM, contact our MD, Jaime Gee – jaime@jampr.co.uk

Back in May, team JAM laced up to pound the pavements in the Bupa Great Manchester Run. Buoyed by doing our bit for charity we trained hard (some more than others!), hitting the streets to get race ready for the big day.

On Sunday 20th May the time had come to put our training into practice. Martha O’Dell, Richard Pay, Dave Gee and Jaime Gee, nervously awaited their fate at the start line and before we knew it we’d huffed and puffed our way around the 10km circuit in less than an hour!

Delighted with our achievement we celebrated with a mountain of energy bars and a couple of shandies! Well, we had just burnt off a fair few calories.

The sponsorship money has flooded in and we are delighted to have raised over £1000 for both the Alzheimer’s Society and Cancer Research .

Our sterling efforts didn’t go unnoticed, with our friends over at The Locksmith Journal giving us a mention in the latest issue.

Go team JAM! Next year, the London Marathon…?

Huge thanks go to all our friends and family for sponsoring us, along with the generosity of our clients; Accommodation For Students, Chubbsafes, C.K tools, Money Advice Group and my Travel Cash.

JAM at the start (l-r) Richard Pay, Martha O’Dell, Jaime Gee.

Martha enjoys a well deserved Frappuccino, post race

We got medals! Jaime Gee’s first ever medal for sports!

Lovely mention in The Locksmith Journal

JAMpr has cashed in with two national accounts, securing contracts with financial solutions provider, Money Advice Group, and the soon to be launched global money-transfer service, Azimo.

Money Advice Group (MAG) is one of the UK’s leading total financial solutions companies, offering honest and effective financial resolutions to over-indebted consumers. Having successfully driven consumer awareness of MAG’s debt management brand, Kensington Financial Management, JAM has been appointed to handle the corporate PR of the overall Group.

The team has devised a campaign to drive awareness of MAG’s proficient processes and customer facing attitude to the investment world, creditors, regulators and competitors, with the aim of attracting opportunities for joint ventures with reputable brands, in order to leverage business opportunities and acquisitions for MAG.

Stuart Parkin, founder and CEO of Money Advice Group said: “Having worked with Kensington Financial Management for several years, JAM’s knowledge of our company and the financial solutions industry is second-to-none. We have a strong corporate message to take to market that we are actively looking for business opportunities. I am confident that JAM’s expert and tactical approach will form a vital component of our fervent growth strategy.”

Azimo is a new platform for transferring money all over the world, via mobile phones and the Internet. Money can be transferred to bank accounts, mobile phones or for cash collection at over 150,000 locations globally.

JAM has been enlisted to launch the service, kicking off with a series of media one-to-ones to educate journalists on the features and benefits of the service. The wider PR programme includes a mixture of strategies targeting websites, digital and social media and offline activities, including a hard-working press office function, as well as creative campaigns.

Michael Kent, co-founder of Azimo said: “We were looking for an agency that truly understood the personal finance sector and could create a voice for Azimo in a market dominated by well-established players. JAM’s experience and knowledge of this market was evident in their distinctive proposal presented.

“We believe that the process of sending money around the world is stuck in the dark ages but JAM’s creative ideas, experience and contacts within the media will help us enlighten consumers.”

Jaime Gee, MD of JAMpr offered: “We are thrilled to be working with these two fantastic businesses. Both companies have a strong message to take to market and we are excited to drive their PR efforts forward.

“The financial solutions sector is a particular area of expertise for JAM and the team is looking forward to producing great results for our new clients.”

Awarded Outstanding Small Consultancy in the 2011 CIPR North West PRide awards, JAM’s growing client list includes my Travel Cash, Carl Kammerling International, Chubbsafes and EHL Ingredients.