< Previous East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk IT AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS © stock.adobe.com/stokketewww.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link IT AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS Left in the dust AI is a part of our future whether we like it or not, and while some companies are grasping the opportunities, others are risking their future on a wait and see approach. A rtificial Intelligence is here to stay. While many can – and are – debating the merits and ethics of the technology, there’s no putting this back into the box and pretending it never existed. The technology is now here and fast becoming a familiar part of our lives, and businesses who refuse to accept or adapt to the fact will be left behind by those who do. In many ways, this is reminiscent of the development of the internet. Go back 40 years and some businesses felt that the online world would never catch on, and did little to invest in their own websites, believing that the fad would not go anywhere. Now, that sentiment is unheard of, even comical, and yet many local businesses are adopting similar policies towards AI. We personally believe there is more that AI can and will do to harm society than help it, with scammers and criminals likely to make more use out of it than almost any demographic. That doesn’t change the fact it’s here, however, or that legitimate businesses and industry are starting to use it. Already, the pharmaceutical industry is using it to look through thousands of images and cell samples, and tech firms are using it to 32 Á East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk IT AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS streamline algorithms and even assist with coding. Recruitment companies are screening via AI even though it’s been shown to be both flawed and biased in who it picks. Like it or not, businesses are using it – and so are consumers. There are currently a lot of problems with AI, not least of all its price. The technology is still new and there isn’t a great infrastructure behind it, especially when it comes to skilled technicians. Universities are scrambling to offer AI courses, but that will take time to pay off. In the meantime, this means AI services offered by third parties are rather expensive. Some of this may be inflated value as well, as a lot of these services are based off AI models provided by other companies – such as ChatGPT. Businesses are using the lack of expertise in AI to sell it at extortionate rates, believing – often correctly – that the customer business won’t have enough experience to call them out on the unrealistic costs. Even then, there’s a possibility that those costs might be worth paying. Searching online reveals many companies offering AI sales assistants, literally AI systems that will cold-call and sell services and products to customers for other companies. While these are unlikely to be able to fully adapt to the range and breadth of questions a human sales rep could, they can do a lot of the heavy lifting and then pass the call on through to a human rep once the customer is warmed up. In a sense, this could remove the cold-call element of a sales rep’s job, making sure every customer being put through to them is at least a little warm to the idea of buying the product. In manufacturing, AI can be used to monitor processes and perform quality control – though, again, it’s worth remembering that this isn’t likely to be at www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link IT AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS the stage where it can replace human operators. Instead, the AI would serve to make their job easier and provide a second cautious eye. In high-quantity manufacturing, like food and drink, computer systems are already being used to scan and check tens of thousands of products per day, so incorporating AI into the process won’t be too difficult. There are dangers, however. There are plenty of stories of AI gone wrong – and less in the genocidal manner than the controversial one. From AI chatbots on Google suggesting that people should “eat at least one large rock a day to stay healthy” to AI-powered recruitment filtering out candidates of ethnic minorities because it is drawing inspiration from racist websites and propaganda, there is potential for AI to run rampant. In most cases this is a case of GIGO, or Garbage-in Garbage-out. To put it simply, AI draws from sources online for much of its information, acting like a glorified search engine, but that also means it can draw from satirical or hateful sources without realising they’re not to be trusted for accurate information. This can be potentially damaging for a company’s reputation, especially if the AI is used in some front- facing operation where it deals with consumers. Still, it’s worth remembering that these issues will be ironed out in time, as issues with the internet have been. It’s an ongoing process but billions are being invested into AI and the technology is going to shape our future whether we like it or not. It’ll also shape our legal scene, forcing governments to change laws and create new ones to control how it’s being used. The issue is that companies adopting a “wait and see” approach to AI will be left in the dust by those aggressively asking how it can benefit their company. © stock.adobe.com/phonlamaiphoto East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk PUBLIC RELATIONS S o, it’s happened again…. “There’s no such thing as bad publicity Greg” - someone said to me at a conference I was speaking at yesterday. It was a room full of just under 400 business owners and I was there to lift the lid on the dark arts of PR. I was fielding a question about what to do in a PR crisis, which to me, starts way before the crisis occurs. Like, before you start any external communications at all. Get your ducks in a row before any detritus starts hitting any rotating blades. Anyway, as I was explaining how to begin this process, a chap at the back cheerfully yelled out the old cliche. I laughed along as the room nodded sagely that they felt this to be true until I pointed out something very stark: “I promise each and every one of you in month, following a gentle reminder from Tess on the editorial team, a similar theme reared its ugly head. DeadHappy, the controversial insurance broker, filed for administration. I’ve been at the sharp end of this media wise before and it is a time of huge stress and major uncertainty for everyone, especially the employees. So, I take no pleasure in calling them out on their marketing, but the fact remains that the way they courted controversy for the sake of column inches went way too far. It raised eyebrows for sure. It got them attention, that is beyond doubt. Did it Greg Simpson, founder of Press for Attention PR, explains how there is such thing as bad publicity. this room right now that I can make you famous before 5pm today. Just come and see me at the break and we will have a little chat and Robert’s your father’s brother. In fact, I won’t even charge you for it.” Now, as you might imagine, this set off a ripple of excitement through the room. Not only was I GUARANTEEING them fame, I wasn’t even seeking a fortune for this game changing moment. I let the dust settle before quietly adding a caveat: “Of course, I didn’t say WHAT I was going to make you famous FOR or HOW.” That’s the crux of the problem with this old cliche. Gerald Ratner is famous for calling his own products and stores cr*p. Super famous. So famous it destroyed his business. Not so smart. As I was setting out my column for this www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link PUBLIC RELATIONS make them some friends? Maybe. Did it get them clients? Yes. Did it also put up a great big ”Bargepole Alert” sign within a traditional industry that wanted to steer well clear of partnering with them? Yes. It was a short-term approach to marketing that they saw as making a splash and being disruptive, but far too many people who made the business model feasible pushed back against or actively ran from. It was not sustainable but that didn’t appear to bother them. Note that I said “appear” - who knows what they really thought but frankly, appearances are nine tenths of the PR law. The Harold Shipman furore was the straw that broke the camel’s back but the response from DeadHappy’s founder was tone deaf: “Being provocative is different to being offensive and it is of course never our intention to offend or upset people. It is our intention to make people stop and think. If however you have been personally distressed by this advert we do sincerely apologise.” Communication is all about what the listener receives, not what you say. DeadHappy have learned that lesson the hard way. A former business journalist, Greg Simpson is the author of The Small Business Guide to PR and has been recognised as one of the UK’s top 5 PR consultants, having set up Press for Attention PR in 2008. He has worked for FTSE 100 firms, charities and start-ups and conducted press conferences with Sir Richard Branson and James Caan. His background ensures a deep understanding of every facet of a successful PR campaign – from a journalist’s, client’s, and consultant’s perspective. East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk DESIGN AND MARKETING Harmony between design and marketing teams can help drive sales and bolster brand recognition. Businesses ignore them at their peril. D esign and marketing, while serving different purposes, often come together to define the success of your business, along with the products or services it provides. Design refers to the early process of creating a visual and functional solution, whether through a physical object or an experience the customer has. Aesthetics, usability and functionality are all essential aspects of first creating and manufacturing a desirable product. From there, marketing takes the leap of promoting the finished item to its intended audience. This can be achieved through tactics such as strategic planning, market research, advertising, communication and customer engagement. Looking at design and marketing as two separate entities, these may seem like a lot of problems to solve at once. But there’s more that brings these two matters together than first meets the eye. With some key concerns under your belt, it’s easier to see how to approach them as one, tackling their shared challenges while mastering how they complement each other. One such convergence point is the need for effective communication and collaboration between marketing and design teams. Both need to understand each other’s goals, requirements and constraints to ensure alignment and produce cohesive results. If there’s a lack of clear communication, or a disconnect in understanding each other’s perspectives, the consequences can include restricted idea flow, inconsistent messaging in your brand identity, and a poor user experience as a result. But when everyone is working towards the same goal, a design can be properly geared towards its audience, with promotion visuals and strategies that work for a product in highlighting its most attractive features. To alleviate the negative consequences The key to success The key to success www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link DESIGN AND MARKETING of poor communication, it’s crucial to establish open and collaborative conversations, promoting a culture of open dialogue and shared understanding between marketing and design teams. Regular meetings, shared project management tools and cross-functional team collaboration can help bridge gaps that might otherwise form in coordinating teams, keeping creativity and innovation flowing. The lucidity of brand identity that springs from this level of teamwork will also see you on your way to building consistency and coherence. Developing a sense of flow and stability, with a recognisable image across multiple marketing channels, ensures that you and your products will be identifiable, laying the foundations for becoming a familiar name. Here too, it’s a must that both marketing and design teams work together to achieve alignment between visual and verbal or text elements, making sure they align with the brand’s identity and convey a consistent message. When inconsistencies or low coordination weaken brand recognition, challenges can arise in diluted marketing impact and lack of reach. Establishing clear brand guidelines to all involved in marketing and communication efforts ensures that everyone understands the brand’s mission, values, personality and target audience. When this vision is communicated clearly to everyone, desired messaging and all key brand attributes, right down to the appropriate tone of voice in marketing, can all be conveyed consistently with greater power for it. It’s also advisable to put together a brand style guide, as a comprehensive document outlining the guidelines and standards for all brand-related communication. Not only can this include specifications for logos, typography and imagery, as well as messaging and key brand phrases, but it can also make all of this information easy to provide to new and existing team members. With this ease, however, comes a new responsibility to regularly update your style guide. Allowing your image to stagnate – or only keeping certain staff looped in with changes – is likely to result in your brand falling behind or promoting © stock.adobe.com/REDPIXEL 38 Á East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk DESIGN AND MARKETING © stock.adobe.com/MIND AND I mixed messages. To further prevent the risks from using outdated assets, or brand knowledge being irregularly disseminated amongst your staff, centralise materials like logos, approved imagery, templates and design files. Shared repositories or digital asset management systems are equally effective in managing and distributing these important facets of your image, ensuring that all teams have access to the latest approved versions of visual elements. On top of the more present concerns of realising and promoting a product clearly and effectively, both marketing and design are also influenced by changing trends, consumer preferences and emerging technologies. Staying up to date with these changes and adapting to new design and marketing strategies can be a shared challenge of staying competitive in both areas, as keeping pace with evolving digital platforms, design tools and marketing techniques requires ongoing learning and collaboration between the two teams. Thankfully technology itself, with the advancement of AI, can step in to assist with staying abreast of these evolutions. AI-powered analytics tools can process vast amounts of data from various sources, including social media, surveys and market research reports. By analysing this data, they can identify emerging trends, consumer preference and shifts in the market, helping brands make informed decisions when developing design and marketing strategies. Intelligent algorithms can also examine customer data, such as behaviour patterns and preferences, translating it to personalised marketing messages and experiences. By leveraging machine learning, brands can deliver tailored content, product recommendations, and offers that align with individual consumer interests. This level of personalisation helps brands stay relevant and engage with customers effectively, create engaging content from blog posts to product descriptions, or even produce visuals and video content based on your audience, and how you would prefer products to appear and therefore appeal. AI-powered design tools can aid in a multitude of areas, from creating visually appealing and on-trend designs, to offering suggestions for marketable areas, or gauging public opinion. But it’s important to note that these tools are exactly that; devices which should be used to support marketing and design efforts, but not to replace human insight and judgment. Designers often strive for creativity and innovation, while marketers focus on achieving business objectives. But meeting inspiration with practicality is a stimulating source of tension between the two, that same friction often producing innovation by necessity. This balance of two perspectives brings the challenges of teamwork and coordination we’ve explored, as design ideas that are highly creative may not always align with marketing goals, budgets or timelines. But with the correct tools, and an approach of open communication and compromise, restrictions can make way for your best minds from both worlds to work together. www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link ENGINEERING © stock.adobe.com/ 宗毅 F rom advancements in automation and sustainable manufacturing to the transition towards electric vehicles, these sectors are adapting to meet the demands of a rapidly evolving world. One of the prominent trends driving the UK engineering and manufacturing industries is the integration of advanced automation and digital technologies. The concept of Industry 4.0, characterized by the fusion of cyber- physical systems, automation, and data exchange, is revolutionizing production processes and enhancing operational efficiency. Initiatives such as the "Made Smarter" campaign, launched in 2017, aim to accelerate the adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies across UK manufacturing. Sustainability has become a key focus for the UK engineering and manufacturing industries. As the world grapples with climate change and environmental concerns, businesses are recognizing the need for greener practices. In line with the UK government's recently extended goal to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, the innovation Driving The engineering and manufacturing industries in the United Kingdom have been undergoing significant transformations in recent years. In the face of rising energy costs, combined with government pressure across all industries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 40 ÁNext >