British cyber-safety company SafeToNet has appointed technology marketing communications agency Firefly Communications, and public affairs and media relations agency, PLMR, to handle proactive media and Government relations in the UK. The programme commenced in May 2017.

Following a competitive pitch process, SafeToNet appointed Firefly and PLMR to launch its upcoming app offerings and raise awareness around online safeguarding for UK families, with a blend of media relations, stakeholder engagement and content creation.

“Firefly and PLMR stood out to us. Both agencies demonstrated creativity and enthusiasm, as well as expertise in their respective fields. They understood not just the technology, but also the sensitive topics surrounding online safety and privacy,” said Richard Pursey, CEO and founder of SafeToNet. “The online safety sector is growing, yet many cyber-safety companies are struggling to get the right balance of safety and privacy. We’re passionate about striking this balance for families and believe that Firefly and PLMR are the right agencies to help us communicate this.”

Claire Walker, CEO and founder of Firefly added: “We were inspired by SafeToNet’s long-term vision for the future of online safety. As a technologist and mother of children who are digitally connected 24/7 I was impressed with how SafeToNet’s technology can accurately flag suspicious activities without compromising anyone’s privacy.”

Oliver Lane, Director of PLMR said: “SafeToNet has developed critically important, cutting-edge technology and it is wonderful that a British business is at the forefront of protecting children and young people online. We are proud to be supporting SafeToNet, and are looking forward to partnering with Firefly to help SafeToNet achieve the success they deserve.”

If, like our senior account manager Tom, you’re a massive Robot Wars fan, then this is going to be right up your street. Enter: Drone Clash.  The website explains that the basic principle is to take down everything that isn’t yours. It’s a battle of sorts, where players test their flying skills while guiding their drones through an obstacle course in hopes of taking the prize. The players and crowd – perhaps more excitingly – get to see the action from the drone’s point of view.

That doesn’t really do it justice though – watch the video here and see the fun for yourself:

Like many great inventions, it’s come from the Dutch, so to take part or watch you’ll need to make your way to Valkenburg in the Netherlands this December. But enter quickly! You need to register your team by 1 May if you want to try and take part. Succes met jouw aanvraag!

As many of us wrap up to cope with the sudden drop in temperature, we should spare a thought for our drones out there. Yes, those helicopter-type devices that will be delivering our Amazon purchases get cold too!

Luckily, Drone Sweaters has come to the rescue, offering our drones a jumper to cope with the winter chills. They consider materials carefully. Wool may be warm and insulating but it’s difficult to wash, so it is recommended to use a blend of washable wool and cotton or acrylic. These sweaters for drones are custom-made – all you need to do is drop off your drone at the Drone Sweaters studio in San Francisco. Have a friend with a drone in need? Drone Sweaters also do gift cards for your drone-owner friends. Brrr-illiant!

Drones – those remote-controlled pilotless aircrafts – are being discussed widely in the media.

They have been stressing out bears by flying too close, been used by criminals to drop drugs into US jails and shot down by a Kentucky man while hovering over his house as his daughters sunbathed. These events, and others, have sparked privacy and safety debates in the media and social arenas.

On the flip side, the benefits for commercial and industrial use are huge. Take retail, for example.  Just recently, Amazon proposed drone-only airspace to facilitate high-speed delivery of online goods.

Firefly client, Give as you Live, is a shopping website with a heart and intrinsically linked to innovations in delivery as a promoter of online shopping. Knowing that drone delivery is a trending topic in the UK media, we devised a quick campaign to turn this interest into business results for Give as you Live. We commissioned a survey asking the UK public how they feel about their shopping being delivered by drone. It turns out, much like bears, humans aren’t too keen on drones either.

We found that:

• Less than a third (30%) of British shoppers planning to use them when they become widely available
• The top concern cited by 36% of respondents was the issue of people stealing their deliveries from drones
• One in 20 (5%) admitted that they would consider stealing a package when a drone is landing – naughty!

We timed the release of our survey story to coincide with Amazon’s chief Jeff Bezos hints about the launch of its flying delivery vehicles in Britain, before initiating lift-off worldwide.

The PR results came flying in!

We achieved pick-up in nationals (Daily Star, Press Association), onlines (Yahoo News, BT.com), major regionals (Western daily press, Belfast Telegraph and Lancashire Telegraph) as well as notable retail titles (Essential retail and Internet Retailing). Through our newsjacking, we achieved over 40 articles which contributed to an uplift in organic search – people typing ‘Give as you Live’ into Google – as well as a better sign-up conversion, based on Google Analytics Goals analysis.

1 April 2015 – Journalists will once again receive hard copy press releases with the introduction of FireDRONE, a new press release distribution drone from technology PR agency, Firefly Communications.

FireDRONE will take its debut flight in the skies of London on 1 April 2015, delivering press releases straight to the desks of journalists from Firefly’s head office.

Constructed with aerodynamic, light-weight materials, FireDRONE will put press releases into the hands of journalists within minutes of leaving Firefly’s London PR agency office.

The drone’s targeted GPS-tracking functionality means it will lock onto a journalist’s exact position at any time via their mobile phone, forcing them to physically receive the news into their open arms no matter where they may be.

FireDRONE launched in response to demand for faster, more targeted delivery of announcements

The drone’s built in silencer also ensures the aircraft only makes a faint sound, ensuring journalists will be truly surprised by the news they are delivered – as their readers will be too.

“Journalists get so many press releases, that their inboxes are looking more and more like fruit machines. Often the most relevant and timely release is at the bottom of an ever-changing cycle of announcements,” said Firefly’s managing director Phil Szomszor.

“That’s why we’ve launched FireDRONE, to provide timely announcements straight into journalists’ hands. With GPS tracking technology, we can also ensure that announcements are – quite literally – more targeted. FireDRONE can also be used for other delivery of other items, such as product samples and photographs.

“We see another application in the delivery of highly sensitive news. Some of our clients have told us they are worried about hacking scandals and whether we can be sure that an announcement reaches its intended audience. With the camera’s in-built camera we’ve got the best ever ‘read receipt’ in the business,” enthused Phil.

For further information, please contact:

Tom Enereleeses
FireDRONE Specialist
tom.enereleeses@fireflycomms.com