London borough’s interactive newsroom courts press, visitors

Last summer a gambling company called Paddy Power won an appeal against an east London council trying to prevent it from opening a betting shop.

Hackney, another London borough, was fighting the proliferation of gambling establishments and wanted to piggyback on the news.

Hackney posted a sharp statement from the mayor, calling companies like Paddy Power “financial vampires, preying on vulnerable people in areas of high deprivation.” Then communicators tweeted key media, scoring coverage, even though Hackney wasn’t a party to the suit.

The tweet proved the success of a strategy of eschewing press releases in favor of blogging and targeted tweets, says Polly Cziok, head of Hackney’s communications and consultation.