Tag Archives: scott dawson

Accrington Pals make Twitter boom on Somme anniversary

July 1st marked the 99th anniversary of one of the bloodiest days in world history, and the sacrifice of hundreds of thousands of WWI troops who laid down their lives for King and Country is being kept alive by modern technology.

The opening day of the infamous Battle of the Somme is remembered as the worst day in the history of the British Army, with 60,000 men killed or wounded. Nowhere was the impact more keenly felt that in Accrington and its surrounding district.

Among the vast number of casualties was the majority of the11th (Service) Battalion (Accrington) East Lancashire Regiment – better known as the “Accrington Pals”. Of the 720 Pals who participated, 584 were killed, injured or reported missing, sending the town of Accrington into a collective state of grief as almost everyone in the town had a friend or relative who had joined the Accrington Pals.

The recruiting ethos of the “Pals” battalions was that men were more likely to enlist if they knew they would be fighting alongside their friends and neighbours. But the catastrophic losses of the Somme Offensive and other battles led to the scrapping of the system, as towns and districts saw a whole generation of their menfolk killed or terribly injured.

Yet their sacrifice lives on, and now social media is strengthening the message that “we will remember them”. Accy Pals Tweet capture 1

Burnley-based Scott Dawson Advertising runs an Accrington Pals Twitter account (twitter.com./accrington_pals), regularly posting messages – known as “tweets” – on the popular online social networking service.

To commemorate the 99th anniversary there was a special push on Twitter, with a series of tweets recounting the days’ events and telling the stories of individual soldiers present at the first day of the Somme.

It was extremely well received by people who follow the Accrington Pals Twitter feed. Throughout the day the tweets were “retweeted” – passed on so that many more people see them – 150 times and were “favourited” 53 times, spreading the account and its commemorative tweets all over the world. Accy Pals Tweet capture 2

Accrington Pals’ historian Andrew Jackson took notice of the attention the posts were receiving, commenting “Great tweets today”. Jackson also wrote the book “Accrington’s Pals: The Full Story” which was used as a research source for a number of the tweets sent out on the day.

John Williams, who manages social media output for Scott Dawson, commented: “Although the history of the Accrington Pals is well-known locally, telling that fascinating story on social media means the experiences and events of that historic day can quickly reach new audiences worldwide.

“It also means that younger generations, who use social media all the time but might not have known much about the Accrington Pals, can find out about the incredible sacrifices their ancestors made 99 years ago and ensure their story lives on.”

Scott Dawson Advertising manages a number of different social media accounts for commercial clients and as a way to help and promote local communities.

SDA sprinkles Christmas magic on Padiham campaign

Christmas shoppers are beating a path to Padiham’s high street after SDA sprinkled some festive magic on a Christmas shops and services campaign.

The town’s independent retailers joined forces with Burnley Council and SDA to create an interactive flyer aimed at boosting Christmas trade.

SDA designed, wrote and produced the flyer following the success of similar campaigns run by us in  nearby Accrington and Oswaldtwistle.

Funded by the businesses themselves, the flyer incorporates interactive elements like QR codes linking to profile videos of each business featured, which have all been uploaded to a brand new YouTube channel set up to support the campaign –

www.youtube.com/padihamshops

Featuring 21 shops and services advertising product offerings and promotional deals, the flyer is now being distributed to 37,000 homes in Padiham and surrounding areas like Read, Simonstone and Hapton, as well as being hand-delivered to primary schools, leisure centres and libraries ahead of the festive break.

A total of 40,000 copies has been printed and distributed by SDA after our pilot campaign in Accrington last year saw some businesses enjoy a 50% upturn in trade during the run-up to Christmas.

Tony Fitzgerald from Burnley Council said: “Padiham’s a great little town with brilliant, friendly shopkeepers and free parking. This new shops and services guide shows we’re trying every conceivable way of promoting Padiham to shoppers this Christmas and beyond.”

As well as shopping information, the flyer includes information about the town’s history, details of winter events and an overview of Padiham’s leisure facilities. And it’s getting a big thumbs up from all the shopkeepers who feature in the campaign.

Peter Rostron from A1 Motorstore said: “It’s just what the town needs. Shoppers will find it useful – our high street is filled up with fantastic shops and services so it’s a good idea to promote them in this way. We’re literally putting Padiham on the map!”

Carol Broadbelt from The Hardware Store said: “Bright and colourful with great photography – this leaflet really gives shoppers an insight into what’s available here in Padiham.”

Alison McLeod from Mooch Café 87 added: “It’s fantastic to all join together to let people know about the great things happening in Padiham.”

A Twitter account set up by SDA just months ago to support the project is already approaching 2,000 followers. Follow @PadihamShops for all the latest news, events, information and offers.