Former Al-Jazeera Director General to visit Australia for the WPRF

Thursday 17 May 2012 - Former Al-Jazeera Director General, Wadah Khanfar is to speak at the World Public Relations Forum being held in Melbourne, Australia on 18-20 November this year.

Khanfar is one of the people responsible for changing the international media landscape in the last ten years. He has been ranked as one of the most "Powerful People in the World" by Forbes Magazine and recognised as the third most influential Arab in the world by Arabian Business. , and named one of the most influential Muslims in the world by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre.
 

Broadcast PR - Part One with Helen Besly

“My career spanned 32 years and it’s been a blast the whole way.” Helen Besly, Managing Director at Rowland and a Fellow of the PRIA, shares her motivation that brought her into the PR industry.

Melbourne's Virginia Trioli to host World Public Relations Forum

We’re thrilled to announce that one of Australia’s best-known journalists, Virginia Trioli, will be the Master of Ceremonies at the World Public Relations Forum being held in Melbourne on 18-20 November this year.

Trioli is a two-time Walkley Award winner and has a formidable reputation as a television anchor, radio presenter, writer and commentator.

Q&A with Slavica Habjanovic, Communications Advisor at HASSELL

What’s the best part about being a member of PRIA?
The networking functions and hearing other people from the industry speak about various topics are definitely the highlights of being a member. It’s really cool hearing about what other people do – when you’ve got your head down working hard, you tend to forget there is a big, wide world out there full of other communications professionals! Another great thing that PRIA offers is the mentorship program – it’s fantastic having someone to discuss your career with and get an outside opinion on issues you face as part of your work.

Melissa Chlad, PD Health at H+K Strategies, about the GTAs

'Whenever we plan a client campaign, one of our first questions is ‘could we win a PRIA award with this?’

Although it sounds flippant and glory-hunting, the rigorous award process, requiring evidence of research, insight and evaluation, is the bare minimum that any communications planner should consider.

PRIA award showcases innovation in public relations research

Guest Blog Post: PRIA’s 2012 Merle Howard Prize winner, Karen Pickering of icon.pr, explains how her research into consumer health information could change the way PR practitioners communicate with young people.

Eight ideas for creating refrigerator journalism

I recently heard a term that has really stuck with me: refrigerator journalism. It was used by Ragan Communication’s CEO and publisher of PR Daily Mark Ragan at the 2012 International Social Media and PR Summit (SMPR2012) in Amsterdam. What is refrigerator journalism? And how do we create it?

Broadcast PR - WPRF Special with Nick Turner

“We’ve got a lot of good stories to tell and we’re looking forward to tell them.” See what Nick Turner, PRIA National President, said about the WPRF when he was asked last year how important it is for international PR professionals to see what we’re doing in Australia.

Cecelia Haddad speaks about her GTA experience

PR Consultancy Heads Project Strong Business Performance this Quarter

Prices Under Pressure, but Strategic Services Highly Valued by Clients
According to the Q2 Trends Barometer survey from ICCO, public relations consultancy heads continue to be optimistic about the industry in 2012. Nonetheless, they see the pricing of PR services as a significant challenge to the business.

Richard Edelman is attending the World PR Forum in Melbourne

Richard Edelman joins the pool of high calibre public relations and marketing professionals presenting at the World Public Relations Forum, in Melbourne from 18-20 November 2012.

Broadcast PR - Part Four with Nick Turner

In this week’s Broadcast PR episode Nick Turner, PRIA National President, shares his opinion about the value of PR.
 

Women in PR: Why they win

Guest blog post: Craig Pearce, Founder, Craig Pearce Strategic Communication.

Craig believes public relations entail short-term pain for long-term gain. He uses academic rigour and creativity to help stimulate mutual organisation-stakeholder change, for mutual benefit. You can learn about his capabilities at his thought leadership blog, Public relations and managing reputation, and connect with him via Twitter and LinkedIn.

The 2012 Golden Target Awards are now open for entries!

The Public Relations Institute of Australia is delighted to announce the call for entries for the 2012 Golden Target Awards. Participation is restricted to PRIA members who created or led public relations campaigns that were concluded and evaluated by 30 April 2012, and attracts a fee of $250.00 including GST.

Broadcast PR - Part 3 with Nick Turner

In this week’s Broadcast PR episode, Nick Turner, PRIA National President, discusses what he feels are the main challenges facing the communications industry today.

Kony 2012: The biggest social media experiment in history fails

If the Kony 2012 campaign had its way, the world would have woken up to cities covered in posters on Saturday. Guest blog post Adam Ferrier from Naked Communications discusses why ...

Golden Target Awards Webinar on 19 April 2012

Are you looking for an opportunity to showcase your expertise and have your campaign recognised by peers from the industry?

Since 1981 the PRIA’s Golden Target Award has showcased campaign excellence, best practice and professionalism in the public relations and communications industry. 2012 looks like being better than ever before!

Broadcast PR - Part Two with Nicolas Turner

In this week’s Broadcast PR episode Nick Turner, PRIA National President, shares the highlights of his career so far. What about your career successes? We’d love to hear your stories!

Broadcast PR - PRIA National President Nick Turner

What motivated you to get into the PR industry and how did you get there? PRIA National President Nick Turner talks about his origins in journalism and how he made the logical progression to PR.

2011 ACT PR Student of the year

Jacqui Day has been awarded the 2011 PRIA ACT / University of Canberra, PR Student of the year. The award funded by the PRIA ACT, acknowledges the student who achieves the highest marks in the PR Strategy unit - a final year unit in the Bachelor of Communications (Public Relations) degree.

Social media: the 21st century soap box

Social media is the 21st century soap box. But instead of reaching a few passers by in Hyde Park we can now reach millions. Witness the effect of the Kony campaign. Every teenager in Australia, and much of the world, is now familiar with the crimes of an African warlord.

Broadcast PR: World Public Relations Forum Special with Tracey Sen

With just over seven months to go until the World Public Relations Forum, we hear from Tracey Sen, Director of Corporate Communications for the Department of Education and Communities on the importance of the Forum as an opportunity to not only demonstrate, but to realise, the cutting edge work being done in Australia.

Next week on Broadcast PR, we are joined by Nicolas Turner, Managing Director of Corporate Communications and National President of the PRIA.

Registrations for the World Public Relations Forum 2012 will open in May. Further information will be released closer to the time.

Brainstorming tips and techniques

Guest Blog Post: Nicole Rodger from Stellar* Concepts – PR, marketing and communications

The arrival of a new client brief is often followed by a brainstorm session to workshop ideas. Sure, plenty of ideas are thrown around, but are they really the BEST ideas and does everyone get a say?

Author Susan Cain has some interesting opinions on brainstorms and ‘groupthink’. Cain suggests that we are surrounded by a groupthink that promotes the group over the individual, which can happen in brainstorms. Moreover, groupthink and brainstorms can be intimidating for creative and / or introverted colleagues. According to Cain, people are more creative when they enjoy privacy and freedom from interruption, as solitude is a catalyst to innovation.

Another reason that brainstorms can be ineffective is that creative types tend to sit back and let others do the talking. They can also be lead to mimic others’ opinions and lose sight of their own, or succumb to the peer pressure of groupthink.

So how can we have better brainstorms? Here are some tools that we have found helpful in conducting a more fruitful brainstorm for everyone in our office – introverts and extroverts alike!

Speed Thinking
At a PRIA course I was introduced to the concept of ‘speed thinking’, by Dr. Ken Hudson. Hudson is an advocate of Speed Thinking for time-poor teams who want to become more productive, innovative and energised (sounds like a PR agency to me!). Speed Thinking is based on the principle that if you encourage people to accelerate their thinking by restricting their time, ideas will flow more readily. Why? You don’t have time to filter your initial thoughts, instead you just create or solve or decide without listening to your own (or the group’s) critical mind.

The Blitz Tool
To get the most out of Speed Thinking, try using The Blitz Tool. It has a standardised template to help guide participants via six golden principles:

1. It should take 15 minutes or less
2. Involve six people or less (we often have more people involved and it works fine)
3. Focus on one challenge only (this may mean breaking down the brief into smaller parts)
4. The brainstorm can be called by anyone
5. Follow the semi-structured, four step process
6. The leader is still accountable for the challenge (i.e. must follow up on the ideas generated!)

We’ve used this tool for a variety of our clients and have found that at the end of each session each person feels like they have contributed equally and all ideas have been heard. Try it out at your next brainstorm and compare the quantity (and quality) of ideas that are generated in just 15 minutes using The Blitz Tool, compared to a more traditional brainstorm.

To view the blog where it was originally published click here

National Education Advisory Committee begins work

The former National Education Committee has been reconstituted as the National Education Advisory Committee to improve continuing education in the industry. The ongoing remit of the committee will be to review and suggest improvements to current education frameworks in the industry.

The new committee consists of an eclectic group of members representing different states, academics, and in-house and consultancy professionals:

• - Mark Sheehan, Academic at Deakin University (VIC)- Chair of Committee
• - Nigel de Bussy, Academic at Curtain University of Technology (WA)
• - Eva Ford-Murphy, In-house at Leightons Contractors (QLD)
• - Leanne Glenny, Academic at the University of South Australia, (SA)
• - Julian Kenny, Public Relations Institute of Australia (National)
• - Ava Lawler, Consultancy professional at Text 100 (NSW)
• - Jim Macnamara, Academic at the University of Technology Sydney (NSW)
• - Marianne Sison, Chair of the Research Colloqium Committee for the World Public Relations Forum (VIC)
• - David Van, PRIA Board member from The De Winton Group (NSW)

On 16th March the committee met to begin work on enhancing the future of education in the public relations sector. The objectives of the new committee are to research and define a structured educational framework for public relations that attracts talent into the profession and supports development within the industry.

Julian Kenny, the National Education Officer would be glad to receive any suggestions for the committee to consider at: julian.kenny@pria.com.au
 

The value of PR

What is the value of PR? Tracey Sen, Director of Corporate Communication for the Department of Education and Communities identifies the change of emphasis from tactics to strategic impact as important in demonstrating the value of PR in an organisation.

For more videos from the PRIA, check out our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/PRIANational

Reminder: call for proposal of Fellows closes 31 March

A reminder that this Saturday is the closing date for submissions proposing PRIA Members (MPRIA) for elevation to the College of Fellows (FPRIA).

How do I put a Name Forward?

Step one in the process (self-proposals are not accepted) is to propose a candidate for fellowship to the Fellowship Nominations Committee in your state (FNC).

Proposals must be submitted in confidence via email to: Jo.Price@pria.com.au

For further information, please contact Jo.Price@pria.com.au

- Guidelines for proposals can be found here
- Details of (state and territory) chapter chairs are here
- About the College of Fellows

NSW Award Winners share their stories

Guest blog post: Melanie Wilson, APRIA, Account Manager, Buchan Consulting Group, member of NSW State Awards for Excellence Committee

Each March, PRIA NSW holds a breakfast event which gives members the opportunity to hear about some of the best PR campaigns in the country from the creators themselves: the winners of the NSW State Awards for Excellence.

On Wednesday 21 March, attendees had the opportunity to hear from four of last year’s winners.

Sharon Williams from Taurus Marketing discussed the campaign for Clean Up Australia Day 2011, which won the environment category at last year’s state awards. In its 21st year, Sharon and her team helped rejuvenate the iconic brand, increased volunteers and boosted media coverage, while competing with the largest sequence of natural disasters in Australia’s history and the event’s first ever fatality. In 2011, more Clean Up sites were registered than in the last four years. The campaign also achieved over 3,000 pieces of coverage during a five-month period, with every major national newspaper and news channel covering the event.

Nathan Burman from Senate SHJ shared the company’s work on Evocities – live, work and invest in regional NSW, winner of the government-sponsored campaigns category. The campaign was designed to tempt Sydneysiders to move to one of seven regional NSW cities and Senate SHJ’s strategy drove traffic to the website and Facebook page, and increased relocation enquiries. There were more than 55,000 visits to the Evocities website during the first three months of the campaign (far exceeding the target of 3,000 monthly visitors); 1,250 Facebook fans (up on the target of 700); and 1,350 relocation enquiries through the website (doubling the target of 600 enquiries).

Mary Smiddy from Weber Shandwick worked on the PawClub Internal Lunch for Pfizer Animal Health, which won the award for best internal communication campaign. Designed to familiarise Pfizer’s employees with the company’s new PawClub website – an information hub for dog owners – Mary’s team staged a mock ‘dognapping’ of the CEO’s brand new puppy, posting clues on the PawClub website and asking employees to help solve the mystery. Porter Novelli’s campaign aimed to generate 2,000 page views on Pfizer’s intranet site during the four day launch period. They far exceeded this, with 4,505 total page views and 1,705 unique views during this time.

Finally, Fionnuala Maye shared the details of Porter Novelli’s work on Good Return’s 100 Women Campaign, which won the low cost/pro bono category. Good Return enables individuals to help women in developing countries start or expand their small businesses and escape poverty through microfinance loans. The campaign aimed to raise awareness of Good Return’s unique online lending portal and encouraged individuals to fund 100 loans during March. Porter Novelli’s strategy included a launch breakfast, electronic direct mail out, media campaign and Twitter and Facebook campaign. The campaign achieved a number of goals, including exceeding the target of 100 fully funded loans in March by 45 per cent.

Following these presentations, PRIA judge Jackie Crossman of Crossman Communications shared her tips for people planning to enter the awards this year:

1. Stick to the word count and the criteria – while you may want to share extra information, the judges are required to mark against the entry criteria, so it’s crucial to respond to this if you’re aiming for a winning entry.

2. Make sure your submission doesn’t contain spelling or grammatical errors – while this should be second nature to communication professionals, in the rush to get their entries in many neglect to proofread their document one last time.

3. The Executive Summary is the most important part of the entire submission, as it allows you to sell your story and capture the judges’ attention. In this section, you should also demonstrate your results– including any behavioural change in your target audience.

4. In the Situation Analysis section, make sure you explain why the campaign was necessary in the first place

5. When completing the Goals and Objectives section, it’s crucial to make your objectives measureable. Ensure these objectives are challenging – after all, these are the Awards for Excellence!

6. You must use research to help develop the campaign strategy. While not all campaigns have the budget to undertake new research, there are ways to get around this – for example, the client may have existing research, or host focus groups, conduct a media perception study or undertake desktop research.

7. When crafting your response to the Target Publics section, it’s important to be specific with the audiences you targeted during the campaign. This should include not only demographics, but also detail the target audiences’ motivations for participating in or engaging with the campaign.

8. Your response to the Communications Strategy section needs to connect your objectives with your tactics. It should outline your approach to solving the problem without getting into specific activities.

9. In the Implementation section you should detail what you did and in what time frame.

10. In the Budget section, share your rationale for how the budget was allocated and demonstrate how value for money was achieved.

11. In the Results section, don’t just talk about the outcomes (such as the number of media clips or Twitter followers), but also the impact on the client’s business.

12. In the final section - Evaluation – outline your achievements against each of your measurable objectives? If you over-achieved, by how much?

Most importantly, don’t forget to tell a story and make your submission entertaining. The judges read many entries, so make yours memorable!
 

Giving back to the community - Newcastle Special Olympics

Guest blog post: Robyn Sefiani is the founder and managing director of Sefiani Communications Group.

Since Sefiani was established 12 years ago, our commitment to pro bono work has been fundamental to our philosophy of giving back to the community. In line with this commitment, we support a number of not-for-profit organisations by providing our professional skills free, or at a significantly reduced cost.

The organisations we support are selected in consultation with our staff, and the team takes immense pride in actively participating in our ‘giving back’ programs. 

Since 2000, Sefiani has worked pro-bono for Special Olympics Australia; a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to transforming the lives of people with an intellectual disability through regular sports training and competition. I’m a long-time Director on the Board of Special Olympics Australia and am passionate about the great work done by the organisation.

Our focus over the years has been to raise awareness of Special Olympics through all facets of the media, so more Australians with intellectual disability can benefit from the wonderful sports training provided by many dedicated volunteer coaches around the country. Athletes with an intellectual disability find “a place to belong” where they can achieve their personal best in fitness, sport and friendships in a non-judgmental environment.

Last week, a hard-working team of Sefiani staffers managed a high profile media event for Special Olympics in the Sydney Opera House forecourt, where the Governor General Quentin Bryce and NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell announced Newcastle had won a competitive bid to host the inaugural Special Olympics Asia Pacific Games to be staged December 2013. This is a major win for Special Olympics and the athletes present at the event were hugely excited!

During the Games, Australia will welcome more than 1,700 Special Olympics athletes who will compete in a range of Olympic-style sports, along with 600 coaches, 4,000 volunteers, and approximately 200,000 spectators from 25 nations across the Asia Pacific region.

In addition to continuing our work with Special Olympics Australia in the lead-up to the Asia Pacific Games, we will also be providing media relations and social media support to raise awareness for the Junior National Games for children, in Newcastle in December this year.

Importantly, providing our professional expertise to support a worthy cause is highly motivating to our employees, and is always met with great enthusiasm by our team. In addition to Special Olympics, other organisations we actively support include Australia for UNHCR, the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence and OneSight.

I strongly believe that the opportunity to apply professional skills in a meaningful way - for the benefit of communities in need - is one of the reasons Sefiani staff take such pride in their work.

PRIA and RMIT turn 21

The PRIA is celebrating a 21 year partnership with RMIT University - bringing you continuing professional development opportunities in Victoria.

Since its launch 21 years ago in 1991, the Public Relations Certificate, which is delivered by RMIT and endorsed by the PRIA, has had more than 2000 enrolments and in 1997, a series of short courses was added to the offering through the Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Program. Over the years, many existing practitioners or those looking to move into the industry have completed these programs. RMIT and PRIA thank those students for their support.

Both programs are still running and the courses are taught by leading industry trainers and academics, providing superior knowledge, delivering practical skills and sharing their hard-earned secrets.

PRIA prides itself on providing access to continuously evolving professional development opportunities that support the changing needs of public relations and communication practitioners. Our long-standing partnership with RMIT is an integral part of this offering and we are pleased to be continuing a tradition of successful collaboration in 2012.

The details:
>View the course listings
>Download information on the Public Relations Certificate
>Download information on the CPD Program
>Download the Short Course Enrolment Form

Crisis Communication: the lesson of keeping your clothes on

Guest blog post: Gabe Kilby-Dunn, Student member. Gabe is a Master of Communication graduate and intern at the Public Relations Institute of Australia. Her passions include sport, politics and travel.

Following on from an article I wrote last week about the KONY 2012 campaign and the faux feel good movement of ‘slacktism’, I thought it would be fitting to respond to the recent reported lewd public behaviour of the campaign’s founder and its relevance to PR.

Jason Russell, founder and filmmaker of the online sensation KONY 2012 campaign, was arrested last week after running naked through the streets of San Diego. I have the greatest amount of sympathy for the PR people at Invisible Children and can imagine their reaction when they heard the words “naked”, “Jason” and “arrested” in the same sentence.

The crisis response team acted swiftly, with a spokesperson from the foundation responding with a statement embedded with classic crisis communication strategies, “Jason Russell was unfortunately hospitalised suffering from exhaustion, dehydration and malnutrition. He is now receiving medical care and is focused on getting better”. Themes of victimage, corrective action and truthfulness are apparent, which can be directly sourced from crisis management literature.

The spokesperson also labelled what Russell was going through as a “personal health issue”. This was a very clever move, as it exemplifies the theme of image restoration – where an organisation tries to distance itself from unwanted negative media scrutiny and separates the image of the company from the external crisis. Russell’s meltdown was a result of his own personal issues, and there is no reason to associate the founder of the organisation on a naked rampage with the foundation itself. None whatsoever!

These themes of crisis communication are very familiar to me after I wrote my Master’s thesis on sport public relations. The St Kilda Football Club and the scandal of December 2010, where a rejected football groupie posted naked and sexually explicit photos of some of the club’s star players on Facebook, proved to be a very interesting case study to research.

There are several similarities between Jason Russell and the St Kilda Football club. Both organisations try to maintain impeccable reputations - Russell with his foundation striving to take down an evil African warlord, and St Kilda with their on-field player performances.

However, with both cases, each organisation found themselves faced with members without their clothes on! Russell rampaging naked through the streets of San Diego and Nick Riewoldt, St Kilda’s star captain, posing naked with another teammate in a photograph posted on Facebook. I don’t think there is any worse crisis for a morality-driven organisation that doesn’t involve the word ‘naked’.

Yet the crisis response strategies of each organisation differed slightly. Whilst Riewoldt himself held a media conference and addressed the scandal personally, Invisible Children only released a written statement speaking on behalf of Russell. I keenly await the YouTube video where the self-proclaimed ‘do-gooder’ speaks about his breakdown, evoking visions of redemption and atonement reminiscent of other right-wing Christian leaders caught in the act of social deviancy.

Russell, truthfully, is a bit of an oddball. “If Oprah, Steven Spielberg and Bono had a baby, I would be that baby” is what he said when asked who his biggest hero is. I doubt it, because I’m positive Oprah, Spielberg and Bono have a ‘pants on in public’ policy.

The main lesson any PR professional can take from these two case studies is very simple: keep your clothes on!
 

Broadcast PR: the changing work environment

Tracey Sen, Director of Corporate Communication for the Department of Education and Communities, talks about the changing working environment for PR professionals based on the relevancy and engagement of consumers.

;

Next week Tracy discusses the value of PR.

Have you missed the first three episodes of Broadcast PR with Tracey Sen? Catch up on Part One, Part Two and Part Three here.

Global Alliance survey highlights new areas of opportunity for PR

Character, culture & responsibility: GA announces launch of ‘Melbourne Mandate’ dialogue leading to 2012 World Public Relations Forum and invites practitioners and academics to participate

Communicating ethically and responsibly, understanding and engaging stakeholders, defining an organisation’s character and building a listening culture are the greatest contributions communicators can make to modern organisations, according to a new survey of the leaders of the world’s major public relations industry associations by the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management.

The Global Alliance, the confederation of the world's major public relations and communication management associations and institutions, is using the results of a survey of close to 300 leaders of industry associations on every continent to frame an eight-month dialogue on the value of communication to organizations. The GA aims to use this dialogue to define a new ‘mandate’ for communicators at the World Public Relations Forum being hosted by the PRIA in Melbourne at this November at the Convention and Exhibition Centre.

“Communication is changing our world, our organizations and our profession, and the Global Alliance survey shows that communication must change as a consequence,” said Daniel Tisch, Chair of the Global Alliance. “That’s why the Global Alliance’s dialogue will focus on how communicators can help define organisational character, build a culture of listening and engagement, and understand their individual, organisational and professional responsibilities to society.”

Survey identifies major roles for PR / communications

The GA’s survey, administered from November 2011 through January 2012, shows that leaders of the major PR and communications industry associations see five major roles for the profession:

1. Applying ethics and responsibility to communication decisions;
2. Researching organization’s reputation & stakeholder environment;
3. Engaging stakeholders to define the organization’s character (or DNA);
4. Developing a listening culture within the organization; and
5. Integrating mainstream and social media communication.

Respondents see social media as the greatest opportunity for communicators, as digital networks can play a key role in understanding and engaging stakeholders and enabling organisational listening. Social media is also seen as a threat to organisational communication, due to the loss of organizational control over the speed and content of communication.

The ‘Melbourne Mandate’ begins

In the months leading to the Seventh World Public Relations Forum (November 18-20, 2012), the Global Alliance invites practitioners and academics to join working groups and online dialogues on the role of communication in three areas: (1) Defining organizational DNA; (2) Creating a culture of listening and engagement; and (3) Understanding personal, organizational and professional responsibility.

Each dialogue will flow into a draft ‘Melbourne Mandate for Global Communication,’ a consensus-based statement on the organizational and societal value of communication that will be considered by the delegates to the World Public Relations Forum. To join the dialogue, please email the Global Alliance Center at info@globalalliancepr.org

Find out more:

1. Download the Melbourne Mandate Abstract
2. Download the Survey Results
3. Download the media release

Connect with the World Public Relations Forum on Twitter and Facebook.

Understanding your business model

Guest blog post: Gemma van den Akker is the Communications & Marketing Manager at the Creative Industries Innovation Centre.

In 2011, the Public Relations Institute of Australia partnered with the Creative Industries Innovation Centre (CIIC), to select a small number of PR firms from around the nation to participate in a series of business model workshops.

The CIIC is an initiative of the Australian Government Enterprise Connect program and the University of Technology, Sydney, with the objective of supporting the business of creative enterprise.

Through the provision of its business advisory services to 435 creative enterprises in 13 sectors, the CIIC, understood the common business challenges facing small to medium creative enterprises – namely, strategic planning and business development.

In order to assist these companies with developing a business strategy, the CIIC ran a national series of workshops with creative businesses from a variety of commercial creative sectors, not just public relations (including marketing, advertising, communications, interactive media and design). The CIIC also worked in partnership with other industry associations for these sectors.

The aim of the workshop was to train them in the use of the Business Model Canvas and methodology, as developed by Alexander Osterwalder and Professor Yves Pigneur, in their book, Business Model Generation.

About the Business Model Canvas

The Canvas is a one-page tool that will help a business owner to map and understand their business visually. Innovation, creativity and design thinking underpin its use. It is divided into the following key areas: Key Partners, Key Activities, Key Resources, Value Proposition, Customer Relationships, Customer Segments, Channels, Cost Structure and Revenue Streams.

Workshop participants were coached and supported as they worked through the Canvas, by CIIC Business Advisers and industry partner representatives, and were introduced to topics such as: understanding your customer; defining your value proposition; considering the lifecycle of your channels to market, and securing the right partnerships and alliances.

The workshop was creative, interactive and enabled participants to view their business model from a new perspective. It allowed them to better understand the building blocks required for business transformation.

Discover your own business model by visiting Business Model Generation [http://www.businessmodelgeneration.com/], read the author’s blog [http://www.businessmodelalchemist.com/], or read the feature on the CIIC’s website, Creativeinnovation.net.au [http://www.creativeinnovation.net.au/Features/business-management/BM-workshops.html].

Creative Territory, a Darwin-based public relations company, whose founder Tracy Jones, attended the Brisbane workshop, shares the impact of the Canvas on her business in the case study below. Creative Territory was selected to attend the workshop by the PRIA.

Read the Creative Territory case study

Managing meetings

Guest blog post: Monique Zytnik from Zytnik Consulting. Monique specialises in internal communications, event management, Internet management, multimedia production, media relations and stakeholder management.

An article on managing meetings recently crossed my desk, or rather I should say popped into my inbox from a friend.

It got me thinking.

What is the most important thing to you when you walk away from a meeting? For me, it is having a result. For me, this means clear actions and the feeling that my time wasn’t wasted.

I really don’t care how this is achieved.

I would say that it is important for the person calling the meeting to take charge, know what needs to be done, prepare and make sure the right people are in the room.

How a meeting plays out is largely dependant on the people. Some people need to feel relaxed in order to share their thoughts. A coffee, a couch and a private chat works well. Others need to feel like they are on the go and busy. Here I agree with Jerome Luepkes who suggests having standing meetings. My additional suggestion would be to choose a space with a high table if notes need to be taken.

My biggest tip to the chair of the meeting is to be firm with time management but also flexible with the room dynamics. Be ready to identify when people need to go away and discuss something at another date. One of my previous colleagues used to say ‘let’s take it off line’. While I object to such corporate speak, I have to admit that it was useful to have a key phrase to keep things focused on the agenda and give permission for extra discussion to be held ‘off line’. She was (and probably still is) the queen of meetings.

I was also a big fan of her closed door policy. She would close the door five minutes after the meeting start time. Embarrassment was ensured for anyone who dared enter late.

Decide what works for you and your colleagues. Mix it up a bit.

To view the original blog post on the Zytnik Consulting blog website click here

College of Fellows - call for proposals

The annual consideration of members’ proposals for invitations to join the Institute’s esteemed College of Fellows is underway.

Members have until 31 March to submit proposals. Guidelines can be found here

Fellows (FPRIA) are members, male or female, with at least ten years’ full-time professional public relations experience, at least five years’ senior status as a practitioner or public relations tertiary educator, an outstanding record of pro-bono community service, and play leading roles in the Institute’s affairs, through excellence in achievement and adherence to the highest professional standards.

The October 2011 Fellows Annual Dinner warmly welcomed 15 newly elevated members. Established in 1987, the College of Fellows now contributes about five per cent of Institute’s membership.

Every state and territory runs its own local chapter of the College. Chapters socialise some four times a year with sub-committees meeting more often. Details of chapter chairs are here.

Fellows continue to participate in Division Council meetings in each state, judge Golden Target Awards and State Awards for Excellence.

The College is a valuable resource for members to draw on in terms of experience, judgment and influence. Fellows are guardians of our Institute’s code of ethics, and advise board on matters relevant to PRIA's objectives, policies and activities.

Mike Watson FPRIA
College Officer

How do I put a Name Forward?
Step one in the process (self-proposals are not accepted) is to propose a candidate for fellowship to the Fellowship Nominations Committee in your state (FNC).

Proposals must be submitted in confidence via email to: Jo.Price@pria.com.au

For further information, please contact Jo.Price@pria.com.au

Broadcast PR: the challenges and opportunities for our industry

Tracey Sen, Director of Corporate Communication for the Department of Education and Communities talks about social media as a 'game changer' for the PR and communication profession on Broadcast PR today.

Next week Tracey shares her thoughts on the future of the PR and communication industry.

Have you missed the first two episodes of Broadcast PR with Tracey Sen? Catch up on Part One and Part Two here.

Impress with polished copy

Guest blogger: Tony Spencer-Smith is managing partner of the corporate editorial consultancy Express Editors. He trains regularly for the PRIA.

Public relations consultants work in a world of words. Being able to control them and shape them into powerful copy for clients is a core skill in the profession.

Having an instinct for good writing is a great start, but producing copy that really hits home takes much more than that; it takes the dedication to edit your writing to turn the ore of the first draft into a polished gem.

A piece of writing that is crystal clear and powerfully structured was virtually never as perfect after the first draft. The writer will have taken that draft through the three vital layers of editing to produce something that is brilliantly clear and effective.

The three layers of editing

What are those three layers? First comes substantive editing, when you look at the big picture. Is the overall structure such that everything works together as a powerful whole? Is the tone right for the audience? This is the time when you might notice an embarrassing gap in the content, or a chunk of copy that is just wasting space.

After that, you turn your attention to each sentence in the copyediting stage. You examine each one with a beady editor’s eye. Is it too wordy? Is it too long and convoluted? Does it put across a fact with deft skill?

Finally, there is the demanding proofreading stage. The cruel fact is that errors are as slippery as eels and will escape you if your pursuit is not relentless. When I was Editor-in-Chief of Reader’s Digest magazine, I noticed that virtually every issue had at least one copy error, despite the diligent application of many pairs of editing eyes. So proofreading is all about reading in a quite different way, and being extremely dogged and systematic.

While we had errors in the Digest, none were fortunately as embarrassing as the one that befell the publisher Penguin in Australia in 2010, when they brought out a book of pasta recipes, one of which called for “salt and freshly ground black people.” And you thought cannibalism was extinct! They had to reprint 7,000 copies.

If you would like to learn more about how to polish your copy to perfection, you can enrol now for the PRIA’s Mark your Words course on 28 March in Sydney.

Click, click, click … activism online

Guest blog post: Gabe Kilby-Dunn, Student member. Gabe is a Master of Communication graduate and intern at the Public Relations Institute of Australia. Her passions include sport, politics and travel.

How social media is breeding the faux feel good movement of ‘slacktivism’

The recent online phenomena of the KONY 2012 movement has shown how easy it is to build awareness campaigns via social media outlets and draw attention to issues that don’t make the evening news. It has also attracted throw-back cynicism about the lack of real action taken by so-called activists.

A few clicks of the mouse and your righteousness can be seen throughout cyber space – a form of slack activism. This has led to the term ‘slacktivist’, with even the UN describing slacktivists as “people who support a cause by performing simple measures [but] are not truly engaged or devoted to making a change”.

Yet what actual difference does it make when you repost, like, share or tweet a quirky but righteous statement about devastating social issues such as an African war lord who extorts children?

Assuming that the overall goal of KONY 2012 is to put a stop to the atrocities committed by Joseph Kony, how do you measure the success of your campaign based on feedback from Facebook, Twitter, Formspring and other social media outlets? There is no quantifiable data to measure when you ‘like’ something on Facebook. In theory the only difference you’re making is a rise in consciousness of certain issues. When you tweet #StopKony, are you physically making an effort to fix the problem? What can be achieved with a tweet containing no more than 140 characters?

But writing letters, going to protests or flying to Uganda to track down Kony in the darkest African jungle yourself actually takes a lot more effort than, say, a few clicks of the mouse. Click. Signed an online petition. Click. Like on Facebook. Click. Repost a newspaper article and all your Facebook friends can see just how much you care.

It’s the epitome of the phrase ‘actions speak louder than words’.

But is this backlash overly cynical? Is every awareness campaign going to have this sort of pessimistic accountability thrown its way when there’s someone out there trying to initiate positive social change?

Public relations has a lot to do with changing people’s perceptions and the communication of that intention is often very subtle. Half the point of KONY 2012 was to raise more awareness about terrible crimes committed against humanity, and last week I bet you didn’t even know who Joseph Kony was.

Ogilvy PR has found that slacktivists are more likely to commit to meaningful social change, and the survey results demonstrate slacktivists to be 50% more likely to volunteer their time and change purchasing habits to buy products from companies that support their cause.

So maybe if we all attempted some form of slack activism, whether its tweeting about current social affairs or reposting a newspaper article on Facebook, at least it’s an attempt to become more aware of the greater world and the conflicts within it. Word of mouth can now go viral and studies show the second most popular form of getting people involved is by talking about it.

The communication of ideas and issues could encourage meaningful solutions, with the exchange of solutions via social media contributing to greater awareness.

Related links:

Dynamics of Cause Engagement - Georgetown University’s Center for Social Impact Communication and Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide, November 2011

KONY 2012 - Invisible Children, 2012

Video - Nigel Collin – ideas to benefit your business

Nigel Collin talks about the benefits your business can gain by attending The Art of Finding Profitable Ideas workshop on Wednesday 21st March.

With over 20 years experience in the events and entertainment industry, Collin gives a rundown of what to expect from the workshop in this short video.

How do you generate profitable ideas? Ideas are everywhere, yet the hard part is coming up with ideas that are viable and will inevitably benefit your business.

Watch the video to find out more.

Registration closes Wednesday 14th March. Log in to your members' profile in order to receive your discounted member's rate. A tax invoice will be automatically generated and emailed to your selected address.

Managing deadline stress

Guest blogger: Tanya Servaas, Communications and Marketing Department of Training and Workforce Development.

As PR and marketing professionals every day we are faced with deadline stress when achieving key targets and milestones related to the management of campaigns, projects and strategies.

How can we manage deadlines in a way that is healthy for own wellbeing and development?

Over the last few years I have mentored and coached many public relations and marketing professionals who have been challenged physically, emotionally and mentally due to deadline stress. This has caused many problems including health issues, inability to build and maintain mutually rewarding and supportive relationships and low self worth. After these professionals successfully applied the techniques below they were able to respond more effectively to deadline stress.

Choice – everything revolves around choices and consequences. In each moment you have a choice about how you respond. You can make the choice right now to manage deadline stress. To think anything less is disempowering. You may need to change past patterning and beliefs however this is a possibility. Awareness is the first step. With awareness comes choice.

Breath – breathing is an essential ingredient to manage deadline stress. Breathing needs to be conscious. You need to be aware when you breathe in and out – this is conscious breathing. When we are really busy working on projects, we are focused on doing, rather than being. Conscious breathing allows us to be present and we are able to be. We need to breath consciously throughout the day. To begin with set yourself a target. It may be as simple as: I am going to take 10 conscious breaths three times a day.

Boundaries – to manage deadline stress it is important to have and maintain appropriate boundaries with your colleagues and others. It’s likely that we will often be faced with competing deadlines and we may be asked to manage new projects. We need to be able to say “no” to others when appropriate – this demonstrates that we have self worth. If we are in the position to complete the project we may need to negotiate appropriate deadlines at the beginning of a project. In this situation we need to express what deadlines are manageable. This may not always please others however you are demonstrating self-respect.

Kindness – being kind to self and other is essential. It is easy to push yourself too hard when faced with an urgent deadline. Perhaps you don’t take a lunch break, are constantly on the go and work back late to meet your target. When you do this, are you being kind to yourself? What is your motivation for doing what you do? Are you motivated by the needs and expectations of others? Right now you can choose to be kind to self. How would it look to be kind to self? When you see what it would look like you can ensure that everything you do is in alignment with being kind to self.

Self worth – is your self worth tied up in your ability to complete a deadline? If it is, you will be constantly feel the pressure of deadline stress and you are not alone there are many people out there who want to prove that they are worthy. What we need to do is to recognize this within ourselves and then we have the power to make new choices. We can choose to embrace self worth – to release all thoughts, belief and biases not in alignment – and take time each day to sit with our own self worth.

By applying the five strategies above consistently you will be in a better position to handle deadline stress in your workplace in a way that is healthy to your own wellbeing.

What you need to know about Government relations

Guest blog post: Susan Napier, Corporate Communication Manager, Community & Stakeholder Engagement, The Department of Planning NSW.

If you thought government relations was done in small rooms by quietly spoken men in dark suits, think again – that’s not the face of government relations these days according to panellists at last night’s corporate communicators event, What every corporate communicator needs to know about Government relations.

Clear takeouts from the evening were: get to the point (fast) particularly when dealing at a political level; have clear evidence to back your case; go in with solutions not problems; don’t forget that politicians work with government agencies; think about all your stakeholders and do your research.

Traditional PR, marketing and corporate communication functions are becoming blended and multidisciplinary. At the end of the day, we’re all dealing with people who have a stake in our organisations or businesses, and for many of us, they include government.

NSW Fair Trading Minister Anthony Roberts won instant support when introducing the session. He has experience in military public affairs and is a former (and soon to be again) PRIA member. Expressing his support for the industry, he also predicted its growth, emphasising the importance of good dialogue with customers. “People expect to be treated with respect,” he said.

Jacquelynne Willcox. Senior Strategic Counsel, Head of Public Affairs, Weber Shandwick, told some interesting stories about near misses by clients who did not consider the motivations or interests of politicians or bureaucrats with whom they were seeking to develop relationships.

Frank Topham, Manager, Government Affairs and Media, Caltex, said messaging was key. “For us, fuel prices are the issue. Our message is simple: Australian fuel prices are driven by global economic forces. It’s taken 15 years to get that across. We’ve worked hard to do that by making sure everyone’s singing off the same song sheet via all of our channels, government relations included,” he said

He gave good advice when presenting a case to government: “You will find that you will have two to three killer arguments that will work but you might need to start with 20. Hone them, test them, be prepared to negotiate and be flexible. Check your facts and come to a position internally that has integrity, before you even start negotiating.”

Duncan Bremner, Head of Stakeholder Relations, NBN Co outlined the complexity of dealing with three tiers of government (including more than 500 councils). His advice was, “..don’t visit a minister without a case. Get it on one page …and articulate how what you are proposing will benefit the community. Also, be aware there’s an important layer underneath the minister and chances are he will call them before you leave the building. Bear this in mind when working out who needs to be briefed”.

Jason de Sousa, Senior Adviser to Premier O'Farrell concurred with Duncan and Frank. He said when you visit a minister’s office you need to be well briefed, able to articulate benefits to taxpayers and understand that government isn’t an open chequebook.

Stephen Loosley, Strategic Counsel, Minter Ellison Lawyers provided many interesting anecdotes from political campaigns in Australia but summed it up by emphasising three Cs; clarity, consistency and certainty when dealing with government and other stakeholders.

Photos from the event are available to view on the PRIA Facebook page.

International Women's Day 2012 - celebrating women in PR

Today, Thursday, 8th March, is International Women’s Day. All around the world, individuals, groups, organisations and governments will be ‘Connecting Girls’ and ‘Inspiring Futures’. Each of these may have chosen a theme that reflects both ‘global and local gender issues’ – with International Women’s Day Australia, for instance, focusing on empowering women in the Pacific.

The PRIA believes this is therefore a fitting day on which to celebrate the incredible women who work in our industry, with the theme:

Women in PR: respect, appreciation and pride

To demonstrate this respect, appreciation and pride for women in PR, the PRIA has conducted a series of interviews to find out what inspires, motivates and drives them in their roles. These interviews have focused on women doing inspiring work, leaders of tomorrow and leaders of today.

Each interview is available as a podcast and can also be viewed in the News and Advocacy section of the website. Featured in the podcasts are:

Cecelia Haddad, Director of Marketing Elements

Clare Collins, Managing Director of Insight Communication

Margarita Peker, Communications Specialist at Klick Communications

Emily Birks, Senior Account Manager at Pulse Communications, Ogilvy PR

Karen Eck, Managing Director of Eck Factor

Kaz Scott, Strategy and Planning Director at Ogilvy PR Australia

They are part of a profession that works to establish and maintain mutual understanding between organisations, individuals and their publics, making public relations the key to effective communication at every level and giving a voice to that which might not otherwise be heard.

They will be sharing with us: who inspires them; what keeps them motivated and engaged; what it’s like to be a woman in PR; the keys to their success; and how they see themselves shaping the future of the industry.

Happy International Women's Day from the PRIA!

Are you marking International Women’s Day? Tell us how and why! We’d love to hear about it.

Lipstick and a tedious debate on a very important day

Guest blog post: Kieran Moore MPRIA, CEO, Ogilvy PR Worldwide. First featured on the Ogilvy PR blog, 7 March 2012

Surely it was coincidence.

With Thursday being International Women’s Day, the timing of Monday’s article in AdNews was exquisite.

PR and corporate affairs a “pink ghetto” read the headline and in the story that followed we read concerns about the “rapid feminisation” of PR and “highly feminised corporate affairs”.

The article was from a 46 page report, Trends and Issues in Australian Corporate Affairs, on behalf of communications search and recruitment firm Salt & Shein. On display for all to read was “the delicate issue of a female-dominated industry in PR and corporate affairs”.

And the reaction here at Ogilvy, Australia’s largest PR organisation: Does anyone really care that much?

No doubt the unnamed “leading and most experience senior corporate affairs professionals” gave earnest and well-meaning responses when interviewed.

We have 130 people working at the five different companies which operate separately under the Ogilvy PR Australia umbrella. Those five companies are headed by four males and a female and I suspect the gender mix throughout the organisation is around 30/70, with females in the ascendancy. But the question again is: what does it matter?

There was a time when women – and people with different coloured skin or different religions or sexuality – were not considered for certain jobs. A time when factors other than ability determined what you did and how far up the chain of command you rose.

And until I read the AdNews story and the Salt & Shein report I thought those times had long gone. One of those anonymous interviewees says: “I don’t believe gender imbalance is good for any profession. I really worry that it makes us appear to be a bit of a ‘pink ghetto’, so that we’re perhaps taken less seriously by management.”

At Ogilvy PR Australia we work for a large number of corporate organisations and my experience has been that it is the quality of advice – not the gender of the person giving that advice – that dictates the degree of seriousness with which management views us.

And when we talk to clients they really want to know just how we are responding to their needs. They want to know how we are going to be accountable for what we say we are going to do, how we can accurately measure success. They want to know that we understand integration, that we can advise them about new and emerging media channels, that we challenge them through our creativity and expertise.

They don’t want to know whether we wear lipstick!

And maybe, just maybe, the reason PR is not taken more seriously is that some in the industry seem to think “the delicate issue of a female-dominated industry in PR and corporate affairs” is important.

Broadcast PR: The satisfaction of tangible results

This week's Broadcast PR with Tracey Sen, Director of Corporate Communication for the Department of Education and Communities focuses on the highlights of her career. Tracey shares how satisfying and rewarding working in education is, as well as an exciting moment in her career when she interviewed one of her idols!

Make sure you and your colleagues join us again next week as Tracey discusses challenges and opportunities in the PR and communucation profession today.

David Potts FPRIA OAM recognized in Australia Day Honours List

Professor David Potts, a current Fellow and life member of the PRIA and foundation chairman of the National Accreditation Examination Board, has this year been awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for his service to the media and the public relations profession, particularly public relations education.

The award is also a mark of recognition for the public relations profession as an academic discipline – which has developed from a relatively unknown subject in universities to a well-established and highly-regarded qualification.

PRIA congratulates Prof Potts on this highly deserved recognition, and his considerable contribution to his profession and the community.

His services to PRIA members, spanning more than 50 years, are greatly appreciated by us all.

Professor David Potts’ full OAM citation:

My Generation: answering the PR Student’s question

Guest blog post: Sherilyn Locmayon is currently a Bachelor of Communications student studying at University of Western Sydney and majoring in Public Relations.

The universal question on every PR student’s lips: how can I get my foot into the public relations door? The most common answer: internship. But once I’ve secured an internship, what else can I do to distinguish me from the others and get me noticed by potential employees? The Secrets of how to succeed in the public relations industry were revealed at PRIA’s ‘My Generation: How can we work harmoniously? 2012’ event held at the innovative UNSW Venues and Events in Sydney Tuesday 21st of February. A debate-style event with ‘The Bosses’ (James Wright, Red Agency; Clare Collins, Insight Communications; and Cecelia Haddad, Marketing Elements) on one side and ‘The Employees’ (Emily Birks, Ogilvy PR; Margarita Peker, Klick Communications; and Mahsa Lotfizadeh, VIVA! Communications) on the other.

So what are The Secrets? It turns out the important attributes needed to succeed in the public relations industry aren’t really top secret. In fact, these secrets are old school and have been passed down through generations even by our parents who have most likely tried (and failed) on multiple occasions to instil in us these Secrets. These secrets are not only for the public relations industry but can also be applied to other occupations.

Secret #1: Listen

The quality everybody thinks they possess but only a few have mastered. Clare Collins, Managing Director of Insight Communications and one of ‘The Employers’ panellist stressed, “If you don’t know, say nothing. Listen, you will learn more.” Mahsa Lotfizadeh, Account Executive of VIVA! Communications suggested taking noteof constructive criticism, “You can learn from your mistakes if you listen to the feedback given”.

Secret #2: Attitude

The right attitude is crucial in the public relations industry. Cecelia Haddad, Director of Marketing Elements says, “Employers look for potential, dedication and willingness to learn”. Employers can determine if a potential employee has the right attitude during the interview process. Chemistry in interviews and the dynamics when working within a team plays an important part in determining who secures a job.

Secret #3: Refine your skills

The public relations role is fast becoming broader and diverse; therefore refining your skills are important. The Bosses shared an example of giving a simple task to an employee which involved creating a graph using Microsoft Excel. The employee was clueless about creating a graph even though having stated on their resume they were proficient in all Microsoft Office programs. Both The Bosses and The Employees agreed on the fact that time is money and James C. Wright, Managing Director of Red Agency describes Generation Y as the “most globally connected generation. You seem to have a little bit of knowledge on a lot of things”. Mastering the specifics of one skill as opposed to knowing a little of everything will assist you in the long run.

The event provided great networking opportunities amongst leading public relations practitioners within a non-intimidating and friendly atmosphere. Getting a foot within the PR door isn’t out of reach. All you need to do is put yourself out there!

World Public Relations Forum abstract submission deadline extended!

WPRF Research Colloquium abstracts due Friday 16 March

PRIA, in partnership with the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication, will host the 7th World Public Relations Forum at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre from 18–20 November 2012.

The theme of the forum is 'Communication without borders’.

The forum includes a full-day research colloquium on Sunday 18 November, followed by a two-day conference program. It will bring together thought leaders, industry experts, researchers, educators, and delegates from around the world.

Find out more

From anthropology to sport to PR

Today on Broadcast PR, Tracey Sen, Director of Corporate Communication for the Department of Education and Communities, describes how she made her way into the PR profession - receiving a degree in history and anthropology, and then starting out at ABC Radio through her love of sport.

Next week Tracey shares the highlights of her career so far. Join us then to find out what Tracey finds most rewarding.

Rishi Saha in Broadcast PR special

This week on Broadcast PR we hear from Rishi Saha, Regional Director, Australia, Middle East, Africa, South & Central Asia for Hill & Knowlton and former Head of Digital Communications for David Cameron at Number 10 Downing Street. Filmed at PR Directions 2011 in Sydney, Rishi talks about the opportunities of the media economy and the role PR and communication professionals can play in helping companies, brands and governments to understand and use these opportunities.

Next week we talk with Tracey Sen, Director of Corporate Communication for the Department of Education and Communities about what led her to enter into public relations.

IABC & PRIA join hands for the World Public Relations Forum

The International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) and the Public Relations Institute of Australia (PRIA) have announced a partnership for the World Public Relations Forum (WPRF) 2012, to be held in Melbourne, Australia, on 18–20 November 2012. IABC and PRIA are both key members of the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management (GA).

The forum, hosted by PRIA and convened by the Global Alliance, will follow the theme of “Communication Without Borders,” which reflects the international flavour of the conference and positions public relations as a truly global profession. The forum includes a full-day research colloquium and two-day conference program. It will bring together thought leaders, industry experts, researchers, educators and delegates from around the world.

IABC will collaborate with PRIA to develop the WPRF program, and will produce one of the conference streams in cooperation with the Institute. All IABC members attending the forum will receive the PRIA member discount rate for the event.

"We are excited to partner with PRIA on this event, which will bring together PR practitioners to discuss, debate and address new challenges in a world without borders,” said John Clemons, ABC, APR, interim executive director of IABC. “Digital media technologies and current global issues are opening up new windows to our field, offering communication professionals a unique opportunity to help their organizations and stakeholders be heard."

“We are excited and extremely positive about the benefits of this partnership to communicators around the world,” added Jon Bisset, MPRIA, MAICD, CEO of PRIA. “As we work together to ensure the success of the World Public Relations Forum, we will also be collaborating on ways to deliver fresh and enriching learning experiences, connecting industry professionals with new ideas and new people along the way.”

The forum aims to examine, explore and reflect on the impact of globalization and rapid change on our profession. The forum is an opportunity to break down barriers, enhance cultural understanding and recognize the transformative effect of communication on global society. As global communities merge and media systems converge, the boundaries within which we communicate are blurring and disappearing - and shifts in economic and political power present new challenges and opportunities for public relations, communication practitioners and scholars.

For more information and to register your interest in the conference, visit http://www.worldprforum.com.

The call for papers for the WPRF Research Colloquium closes on 29 February. Submissions can be sent to info@worldprforum.com. Find out more here.

Setting goals and objectives makes your PR planning more effective

Guest blog post: Kim Harrison is a PRIA Fellow, former PRIA national board member and President of the WA State Council, and recognized authority in the public relations and organizational communication field. His website, www.cuttingedgepr.com, provides a wealth of informative articles and resources on public relations techniques and management. Original article.

Knowing how to set goals and objectives in the planning of your communication activities makes you much more effective.

Setting communication goals and objectives creates several benefits. It lets people know what is expected of them, it lets others know what is planned, it helps to quantify the resources that are needed and when, it helps to improve communication between the participants, and it creates measurable results.

A widely held myth for many years was that public relations performance could not really be measured and therefore couldn’t be expected to undergo the performance and budget scrutiny that other areas of the organization were obliged to accept. These days you can prove the value of your PR work by setting and achieving measurable objectives for your activities.

Read the full post here.

What? No website?

Guest blog post: Peter Fuller, Managing Director of FULLER. Peter has more than 30 years experience in the media, marketing, journalism and public relations industries, and in 1993 launched his own brand and communication consultancy in Adelaide. FULLER has a diverse client portfolio and use an integrated suite of marketing tools, from public relations and graphic design to web and social media. Article featured on the FULLER blog - FLOG.

It seems inconceivable to me that as we settle into the second decade of the 21st century some companies still don’t have a website – or if they do, they haven’t opened it and updated it for years.

Yet, over the summer holiday break when I had time to Google around looking for products and services, I was appalled at the virtual dead end streets and closed shopfronts I wandered past with my credit card. Given the cobwebs I saw and the lazy reliance on directories such as truelocal.com.au (great idea but no personality), I’m not surprised that the rapid growth in online purchasing went mainly to overseas retailers last year – at least they have 21st century websites.

It’s bad enough that monolithic, slow to react Aussie retailers like David Jones and Woolworths and Harvey Norman have been flat-footed about seizing on the web opportunity. But small to medium businesses have no excuse when ignoring the most powerful advertising and branding medium the world has seen, during the toughest business climate in 30 years.

I can’t believe, for example, that a chiropractor or physio wouldn’t want to differentiate themselves from the hundreds of others in the Yellow Pages; why a builder or plumber can’t see the point of projecting their personal service; why little book stores anxious about Amazon still don’t have an on-line ordering option; why bleeding manufacturing companies aren’t uploading their inventory on-line and explaining why they are better than their overseas opposition; why restaurants have dusty old menus and wine lists from 2004; and B&Bs persist with agonizingly amateur designs knocked up by a son or daughter studying Year 10 Art.

Let’s be clear – after nearly 30 years of the Internet there is no longer any excuse not to have a virtual presence at least as flash as your window signage, your brochure or your business card in 2012. And if you can spare $5000 to $10,000 on a one tonner or a corner office or even a flash Harry coffee machine, you can certainly afford a website.

Most of us believe enough in the reputation of our businesses to invest in quality - decent work clothes, up to date equipment, modern furnishings, pleasant, trained staff. So why would you skimp on the single marketing tool which will differentiate you from the rest of the world...even while you sleep?

Broadcast PR: What will the future bring for the PR industry?

This week on Broadcast PR, Nicola Mendleson – Principal and founder of Mendleson Communication – discusses “Relationship Capital” and its future role within the PR industry. She also brings up the challenges PR practitioners are likely to face as they attempt to come up with new and exciting campaigns in order to attempt to catch the attention of the “Digital Age”.

Be sure to tune in next week for our one-off special with Rishi Saha, Regional Director, Australia, Middle East, Africa, South & Central Asia for Hill & Knowlton.

Your Words Define Your Impact

Guest blog post by Geoff Kelly FPRIA. Geoff helps leaders and organisations earn attention, buy-in and conviction by communicating less and differently. Less, because they hit their target precisely. Differently, because they resonate with more meaning, more variety, and with more credibility. To find out more get your free Game-changer special report here or call Geoff on (03) 9678 9218.

How many times have you heard someone say “It’s just words”?

If they really meant it, they were missing a profound truth. All great communicators make meaning for people by carefully choosing the words that get others excited and acting on their ideas. Both choosing powerful words and ordering them in powerful sequences are the keys to unlocking attention, conviction and action in others. And that is the key to everything in business and in life.

This has always been true of historical leaders from Hannibal to Napoleon to Churchill. Perhaps it is even truer today with the chaotic chatter of thousands of messages a day forcing everyone to protect themselves from increasing and mostly unwelcome intrusions. As people batten down, advertisers and other would-be persuaders shout louder and more often – and it just seems to get worse.

Language skill is much more than being able to cut through this clutter. It also is about thinking clearly. The better you can express your thoughts in clear evocative words, the more clearly you actually think. Perhaps George Orwell said it best: “…the slovenliness of our language makes it easier for us to have foolish thoughts.”

For example, examine the following paragraph from a CEO’s letter in the report of a major global financial group:

“Our care and support for our people remains an important priority. It is their relationships and expertise that will ensure our business continues to grow while we help customers during this period of relative economic uncertainty.”

This looks ordinary and unremarkable because it is typical of most business and government language today. At one level it seems a blinding flash of the obvious, but is it really? Is it clear what “care and support or our people constitutes”? Or how their relationships and expertise will continue to grow the business, or help their customers?

This is the language of abstraction – so general as to be almost devoid of meaning. And if Orwell is right, perhaps also of meaningful thought itself. It is lazy language, masquerading as something meaningful but really achieving nothing.

Ask yourself these questions of this passage and of others like it that wash into your inbox, in tray and mail box:

• What pictures does it create in your mind?
• What feelings does it evoke?
• What actions would you consider upon reading it?
• What kind of leader would write it?

Noted linguist Richard Lederer calls concrete language the language of control because it enables you to control the message rather than cede it to your audience.
Abstractions require others to work harder to assign meanings, and make it more likely they will differ from the original intent.

So language needs to be concrete to lead others to action. The endless abstractions and woolly language of most of today’s business and government communication is both dull and uninspiring. Much of it also is almost devoid of useful meaning and equates to the mindless chatter characteristic of most day-time talk-back radio programs.

We often hear today that cutting through is difficult given the competition of so many channels and messages. However, we can see the opportunity when we understand that so much of it is devoid of meaning, emotion and audience focus.

So how do they adopt this language of action? Start by thinking, speaking and writing in concrete language – the simple words and phrases that put interesting picture in our minds. And avoid the safe abstractions and complications that have crept in to cripple the business-speak of so many failing communicators of today.

Bypassing the firewall of cynicism

Guest blog post by Jack Herbert. Jack is currently the lead digital media adviser for national issues management firm CPR. In 2011 he gave a presentation on the Australian digital media landscape at a summit in London, returning with the latest news on social media trends in the UK and Europe. Prior to working for CPR, Jack worked for a number of state members of Parliament, including the former parliamentary secretary for education. He has a broad understanding of government and strong skills in communication consultation, stakeholder liaison and issues management. His experience includes political campaigning - comprised of marginal seat election tactics, government relations, media relations, and event management. Jack has also starred in Broadcast PR!

Is information overload and the onslaught of cons, scams, tricks and hoaxes associated with the online world generally, and social media in particular, sapping our will to engage with even genuine issues?

The Australian Twittersphere was recently flooded with requests to identify an anonymous Melbourne teenage girl who posted a suicide note on her tumblr blog. The tweet included an image of the teen, and requested assistance in tracking her down.

Within about 24 hours, the teen had been identified. One man, who remained anonymous, saw the tweet, accepted the challenge and dug deep into the pits of his social media networks and came up with a connection. From there contact with the family was made, and the girl received the help she clearly needed.

This was obviously a great outcome. But a frightening question is how many people before the Good Samaritan immediately dismissed the message as spam or a hoax? What if our lone hero failed in his efforts and nobody else accepted the challenge?

While not common, this has happened overseas. Last November, for instance, an 18-year-old American student took her life after posting 144 Twitter updates in six hours, chronicling a history of sexual abuse and stating she had reached the final straw.

At the other end of the scale are the entirely bogus appeals for help that conversely seem to galvanise enormous numbers of people into action.

One recent Twitter post to do the rounds contained a picture of a baby with a tumour and claimed that Twitter would donate $1 for every re-tweet. Tens of thousands of believers in corporate benevolence duly did.

Unlike the more malevolent online scams, which seek to part the gullible from their credit card details, identities and bank balances, there were no direct repercussions for the tens of thousands who retweeted the message. But the culture of cynicism fostered by even seemingly harmless scams like this may be promoting poor social media behaviour, and making it increasingly difficultly for genuine cases, like pleas for help from the suicidal, to be taken seriously.

Given the frequency which we as social media users are exposed to potential scams, it is no wonder that many immediately discard any suspicious message without a moment’s hesitation and without considering that the message may be legitimate.

The threat then becomes that we turn into a population of cynics. This has far-reaching consequences, particularly when it comes to sincere calls for help, and, in the PR industry, legitimate online campaigns.

The erosion of compassion and trust displayed by many internet users is also leading to a growing public suspicion about organisations. If Twitter itself can be seen as the face of a hoax, how can any consumer or target public be certain that any messages received from any organisation are legitimate?

This is a problem all online campaigns now face. Not only do communications professionals have to ensure that our message is reaching the target public, we now have to convince the disengaged and disenchanted that our message is not spam.

It is no longer good enough to assume that because your message appeals to the target, they will accept it as truth – we must put ourselves in the role of the cynic and shift the way we present our message.

This is the role of today’s PR practitioner operating in the social media sphere and the reason many organisations have a need for PR agencies to develop concepts and campaigns that bypass the cynic’s growing firewall of immediate message dismissal.

With more than 175 million Twitter users and 800 million Facebook users, it is inevitable that scammers will continue to infiltrate the online sphere with increasingly sophisticated cons for financial and informational gain.

There are lessons for organisations and individuals who use social media. Individuals need to develop the critical thinking skills to become engaged, rather than disengaged, social media users. They need to find a way to avoid being taken advantage of without withdrawing into an impenetrable shell of indifference.

As organisations, we must build trust through positive online engagement and genuine social media campaigns. Organisations that want to engage in social media marketing need to be acutely aware of their reputation given the heightened sense of scepticism that can prevail online. An organisation seen as credible in the real world is much more likely to be taken seriously in the shark-infested waters of the internet.

Fostering greater accountability and compassion from social media users will mean less scams, a safer online environment and greater cut-through for campaigns. And perhaps more cries for help will be answered.

The growth of the recommendation economy

Guest blog post: Kate Carruthers, Co-founder of Social Innovation Sydney, and skilled communicator who brings her enterprise experience and knowledge of technology together to reveal how the landscape is changing and how we can capitalize on it. First featured on ‘Aide-Memoire’ on February 7, 2012.

Seth Godin wrote about the the attention economy. But it seems to me that we are also seeing the evolution of an online social recommendation economy.

When we all lived in villages there was a strong recommendation economy, and it was fuelled by the fact that everyone knew each other and their reputation. Word of mouth drove choices about which business to patronise and which individuals with whom to socialize. Reputation was everything, and it was protected fiercely on olden days.

With the shift of population to large cities we became disconnected from the hyperlocal reputation economy. But with the digital revolution and the growth of social networking platforms we are seeing a return to the reputation economy for both individuals and businesses.

There is also a growing recommendation economy developing via social media and social networks. This growing recommendation economy is no longer volitional. Instead you are a participant even if you never signed up (refer to my previous post on Klout for some examples).

We are now seeing the growth of explicit social recommendation networks. However, a number of other social networks serve to provide insight into the influence of individuals or brands but these recommendation networks aim to aggregate and rank user’s influence.

Some of the players in this space include:

• Kred
• Peer Index
• Klout
• Empire Avenue
• Linked In

These networks are all aimed at measuring online influence, and this need is largely driven by marketing needs. As traditional media continues to fragment marketers are seeking to identify those influencers who can help them to connect with audiences.

As Mashable summarised back in 2009, mostly these platforms use metrics to assess influence:

“Incoming Traffic – Pageviews, Incoming traffic from search engines, rss subscribers
Incoming Links – Primarily manual links such as blogrolls, in-post deep links
Reader Engagement – Internal searches, time on site
Recommendations – Retweets, share stats
Connections – Number of mutual connections, number of mutual connections on multiple sites
Track Record – Age of domain, number of blog posts, length of engagement
Engagement – How often and long a person has engaged with a service online”

Source: HOW TO Measure Online Influence, Micah Baldwin, 2009

This means that everything we do online is potentially subject to analysis of this nature. And, even if we are participating in ‘private’ social networks, there is the chance that our activity can also be subject to this kind of analysis.

Even if we do not choose to participate in the recommendation economy it is happening, just like it used to happen to everyone in a village.

Along with all of this we are seeing the development of recommendation markets, where people connect and exchange information about the quality of information, connections, work, etc of people or businesses within their networks. Increasingly this kind of recommendation network is driving job search, new business, business connections, and innovation.

This means we need to work out how to benefit from this new environment.

WHAT TO DO

Probably the best advice about managing one’s reputation comes from Maslow via Wayne Dwyer:

“Self-actualized people are independent of the good opinion of others.”

And he goes on cite Dr Seuss:

“Be what you are and say what you feel, because those who will mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.”

From my point of view the only practical response is to keep doing your thing, whatever that might be. To analyse results and take feedback from reliable sources.

But, as I know from experience, if you try to please everyone then everyone ends up unhappy (I’m sure Oscar Wilde said something along those lines too).

Above all we need to accept that we now dwell in a panopticon, and like the villagers of old, we are always under observation in the digital world. This new reality has implications for our comportment online. It means that we need to monitor responses to our activity and adjust our own responses to the current situation.

It also means that even those who do not choose to play in the online arena are playing (whether they like it or not). Reputations are no longer a private matter, instead we live in a digital global village where our reputations are common currency and we rise or fall on the recommendations of others.

This new environment means that we need to remain vigilant, stay connected, and build up social capital to enable us to survive when things do not go well. Just like in a village it is the quality of our relationships that will make life easier.

READING

Some other interesting analyses of this phenomenon include:

• Bertrand Duperrin, Is reputation a new currency?
• Sidneyeve Matrix, Social Job Search
   

PRIA submission to the Western Australian Integrity (Lobbyists) Bill

Following our submission to the Senate inquiry regarding the Operation of the Lobbyist Register, PRIA continues its role as an advocator of government relations and lobbying with a recent submission to the Western Australian Government’s deliberations regarding the Integrity (Lobbyists) Bill 2011.

Like other improvements on similar legislation progressed through federal and state parliament, this Bill also looks to inject a measure of certainty, transparency and integrity within the action of lobbying. Whilst we believe that some aspects of this Bill do represent an improvement upon past legislation, we still have some concerns regarding certain aspects of the proposed reforms. With these concerns, and PRIA’s commitment to the transparency of representation and process in mind, we submitted several recommendations that we believe will help to create an ethical, transparent and simplified framework for lobbying activities.

Covering issues ranging from meeting conduct, industry association membership and professional education, PRIA’s submission recommends the need for:

• All government groups to publish relevant codes of conduct for Ministers, Members of Parliaments and the full range of government employees and contractors to ensure clarity as to the rules of engagement
• A requirement for government relations practitioners to disclose government positions held currently, or within the past five years
• People on the State and Federal Registers to be encouraged to join a professional association that can demonstrate it promotes ethical and excellent practice, education and training
• Ongoing professional education to be a requirement for inclusion on any state or federal lobbyist register
• • A consistent code and registration process across Federal and State Governments.

The full submission can be downloaded here.

The challenges and opportunities of the PR industry

This week on Broadcast PR, Nicola Mendleson – Principal and founder of Mendleson Communication – discusses the challenges of finding the time and resources for proper planning and evaluation, as well as balancing the use of face-to-face and technological communication at the forefront of the social media revolution.

Don’t forget to join us next week as Nicola shares her predictions regarding the development of the PR industry in the future.
 

PRIA Submission on the Operation of the Lobbyist Register

As the new year gets well and truly underway, PRIA has been busy fulfilling its role as an advocator of government relations and lobbying, with our recent submission to the current Senate Inquiry regarding the Operation of the Lobbying Code of Conduct and the Lobbyist Register.

As the national peak body for public relations and communication professionals, including lobbyists, in Australia, PRIA has welcomed opportunities over the past three years to discuss lobbyist registration and assist the profession in making effective representations to federal, state and local government. The recent submission to the Senate Inquiry supports our key goal of enhancing awareness of public relations’ role in contributing to open, honest and respectful communication, as well as identifying and advocating key public priorities for the profession.

Within the public relations and communication industry, lobbyists play an important, legal and legitimate role, engaging in public advocacy on behalf of their clients and ensuring that a wide range of stakeholders have a say in, and understand the process of government policymaking. Through their knowledge of both public policy process and their employer’s or client’s business, lobbyists are also in the position of being able to help voice divergent views, navigate complex procedures and contribute valuable insights into policy implementation and impacts.

With this role in mind, PRIA has suggested that the key issues in the current regulation of lobbying lie within the transparency and openness of government decision making, stakeholder engagement, freedom of expression and the democratic right for every citizen to have a voice. PRIA is strongly committed to both the transparency of representation and of the process in relation to public advocacy.

Remembering this commitment, we concluded that whilst the Code of Conduct itself is transparent, simple to operate, affordable and places a reasonable burden on lobbyists and government officers - the operation of the Lobbyist Register has some aspects worthy of concern. In view of these concerns, all recommendations made within our submission to the Senate Inquiry support such actions as:

- The Registration of all third party lobbyists, the declaration and management of conflicting interests, and clear guidelines on employment of former government officers

- The building of a single consistent Code and registration regime across the country

- An agreed terminology across Federal and State Jurisdictions

The full submission can be downloaded here.

Black hat social media planning

Guest blog post: Michelle Prak, Social Media Consultant, www.prakky.com.au

Follow Michelle on Twitter: @Prakky

When you work in PR, unfortunately you often have to wear your black hat.

By ‘black hat’, I refer of course to one of Dr Edward de Bono’s six thinking hats. The black hat signifies the examination of risks and dangers – those things that can possibly go wrong.

In PR, black hat thinking can be particularly useful during the brainstorming phase of crisis communications planning. I believe black hat thinking is also an essential precursor to any social media activity.

Sadly, social media today is almost synonymous with disaster – whether it’s covering news of disasters as they unfold, or whether social media is the catalyst and enabler. You think ‘social media’ today, you think about Twitter hashtag campaigns that have gone wrong, such as ‘Qantas luxury’ or ‘McDonald’s stories’. You think about brand Facebook pages inundated with customer complaints. Or the awkward client interview captured on film and broadcast on YouTube.

I don’t think this should deter us from using social media.

Read the full post

The highlights and rewards of a career in PR

Today on Broadcast PR, Nicola Mendleson - Principal and Founder of Mendleson Communication - shares with us some of the highlights of her career so far and what makes working in PR so rewarding.

Join us next week as Nicola discusses some of the opportunities and challenges of working in the PR industry.

96% of PR consultancy heads expect stable to increased revenue

Pricing and profitability present the biggest challenge

Just over half of PR consultancy heads internationally expect the business to grow in 2012 compared to 2011. Another 41% expect stable conditions, while only 4% believe their business will shrink. This according to the Q1 Trends Barometer survey from the International Communications Consultancy Organisation, in which 18 countries from Europe and Asia-Pacific participated.

Find out more

PRIA launches new blog and industry news sections

The PRIA blog and Industry News sections now feature a comments box at the end of each article, so we're looking forward to getting some great discussions going and to hearing your feedback!

To view the comments box, simply follow the title link for each blog post or industry news entry and view the full article.

Don't forget to take a look at PRIA's user guidelines for online engagement, which deal not only with user practice on PRIA social media channels but on the website as well.

If you have any questions let us know either via the comments box or at: info@pria.com.au

Be Social Media Savvy

Guest blog post: Alex Harris is the author of Reputation at Risk, freelance investigative features writer and speaker on reputational risk, corporate social responsibility and business ethics, and editor of Reputation Report: www.reputationreport.com.au.
Follow Alex on Twitter

Companies that still rely solely on traditional media to reach a mass market are losing ground in the battle for hearts and minds of their stakeholders. Especially in the event of a crisis - whether that be a crisis of confidence, or a crisis of fatal proportions - both can hit a company hard. On Twitter. Or YouTube.

1. The first and most important change came in the form of the transformation of the communications industry with the birth of social media. We want to know it all and know it now, and when we do we tell our friends.

2. To make things just a tad more exciting, there are interest groups everywhere that now have a global voice, following and influence. They are talking with each other about you and your business right now.

3. The third and most interesting factor in all of this is the societal shift (resulting from the first and second points above) to a more socially aware, a more globally connected and activist middleclass. Organisations are now finding stakeholders at every level to be a great deal more demanding of social and environmental responsibility, of transparency, of customer service and constant communication.

While your PR department is busy inventing messages and stories to send out on the wires to the major metro newspapers, bloggers and micro-bloggers are dissecting and challenging and perhaps proving reality to be a very different story.

Read the full post and comment...

Broadcast PR 2012: Featuring Nicola Mendleson

Broadcast PR - the series of films featuring professionals in the public relations industry - is back for 2012!

This week we talk with Nicola Mendleson, Principle and Founder of Mendleson Communication about what motivated her to get into PR and how she got there.

Next week Nicola will share with us some of the highlights of her career to date.

If you missed Broadcast PR last year, visit the PRIA YouTube channel to catch up!

Finding a foothold on the slippery slope

Guest blog post: Monique Zytnik, Zytnik Consulting

Humans are easily adaptable and this can be both a good and a bad thing. Although we often dislike change, we can adapt when need be. Something that seems a ‘little on the nose’ or ‘not quite the done thing’ one day, can easily be commonplace practice the next. In ethics, we often speak about the slippery slope of morality.

At university we study ethics in public relations. Many years have passed and I am a firm believer that as communications professionals, the wielders of the dark arts of persuasion, communication and influence, we have more than our share of responsibility to behave ethically. Sometimes we may be the only gate between the shades of grey, the money decision and the moral decision. It is a responsibility that needs to be taken seriously.

So where do my heavy handed, dark views on our responsibilities come from? In a recent trip to Poland, I faced the atrocity of Auschwitz. It was not something I wanted to see, but rather something I had to see. Empty suitcases, each with a name and address, a room full of human hair and cloth made from it, torture cells, execution walls and a long railway line ending in leftover rubble. We were led through the museum on a three and a half hour tour by a knowledgeable guide.

I can not begin to possibly explain what I saw at Auschwitz, but needless to say I finally understood that crimes had gradually built in scale over time. It was an overwhelming realisation and at the time I felt quite numb. Think of William Golding’s Lord of the Flies or George Orwell’s Animal Farm. Things started small. In 1941, Auschwitz was still a traditional concentration camp and some political prisoners were actually released and given their clothes back. Things started small and over a few years and months, inhumane acts grew and then extermination developed to the mass scale that we know of.

Once dignity and respect is stripped from an individual, they are no better than animals. Public humiliation, reduction of liberties, sleep deprivation, longer working hours, strict routines and separation from family can be implemented and advocated until these things become normal. It was the educated people - those in positions of power - doctors, architects and leaders who committed some of the worst crimes against humanity during the Nazi reign.

The lasting words from our professional guide were that each of us is responsible for standing up to acts against humankind – finding a firm foothold on the slippery slope of morality.

As the adaptable human beings that we are, we just try to survive. If this means treading on others to appear more favourable to the authorities, then so be it. What I am talking about is the tendency towards survival at the expense of others, taking advantage of our situation in a plumb job or making friends with those in high places for favours. Letting something slide because it is too much trouble to stand up for what you know to be right.

As communication professionals we are often in the privileged position of trusted adviser. We have a responsibility to use our skills and position to uphold values and advocate ethical decisions. If we sit back and say nothing when we see injustice being done, rot will take hold within our organisation. Moral decay will start, creeping into our valued work culture and company brand. Take advantage of your skills in persuasion and influence. Use it for the greater good, and to uphold justice and decent moral standards within your circle of control.

‘All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.’ - Edmund Burke
 

PRIA Ian Robertson awardee gets a taste of life in the Big Apple

Guest blog post by Sarah Golding, winner of the 2011/2012 Ian Robertson Award for an outstanding new or emerging public relations professional in Queensland

One week into living and working in New York City and I can see why it’s called the city that never sleeps! It’s been go, go, go this week on my PRIA Ian Robertson Award study tour.

On Monday I started a two-week internship with the American Australian Association (AAA) working on the AAA and G’Day USA Black Tie Gala. The Gala is the key New York event during the annual G’Day USA program which promotes all things Australian and builds partnerships, networks and ties between Australia and the States. In between finalising the guest list and making arrangements for the VIPs, there was time for some advice from Australians who have made the move over to the States to work in communications and international relations.

This week I also visited some boutique public relations and communication firms as part of my PR agency “round robin discovery”. One of the key highlights was definitely my visit to DiGennaro Communications – one of NYC's fastest growing marketing communications agencies – and my discussion with Managing Director and former Forbes journalist Melanie Wells about the future of PR and communications, and the growth of thought leadership and social media in today’s changing corporate environment

All in all it’s been a fabulous week – taking the subway to work from my trendy West Village apartment which is right across the road from Carrie Bradshaw’s Sex and the City apartment (special thanks to my host Kylie Robertson), catching a hit Broadway show (or two) after work and exploring the unique burroughs and neighbourhoods of one of the world’s most exciting cities. 

Stay tuned for more highlights! On the itinerary next week is a visit to The Bradman Agency who specialise in luxury travel, tourism, real estate and lifestyle brands, and the AAA/G’Day USA Black Tie Gala on Friday night at Cipriani, Wall Street. 

Images, clockwise from top left: Hard at work on the Hard at work on the AAA G'Day USA NY Ball; View from the Empire State Building; enjoying a Magnolia Bakery cupcake on Carrie Bradshaw's steps;Times Square - day before NYE.

Five key themes to watch this earnings season

Guest blog post: David Loch is the Managing Director of Unicus, a boutique investor and media relations, corporate and transaction communications firm with offices in Melbourne and Perth.
For more information: www.unicusgroup.com.au

Between now and 29 February 2012, a large number of the 2,313 ASX listed companies will be required to report their financial results for the period ended 31 December 2011. This bi-annual reporting window is commonly referred to as the ‘earnings season’.

Corporate communication around results and associated PR is critical as it frames current expectations, shapes future expectations and provides a stepping stone for the remainder of the year and beyond.

This earnings season is expected to be particularly significant for listed companies with a number of key themes reflecting current market conditions including:

1. Macro Environment – As sentiment turns more circumspect, market participants will increasingly be focussing on the macro environment including what direct and indirect effects this is having on listed companies – be armed with information and position your story to take advantage of this current environment;
2. Funding & Liquidity – With debt funding margins and costs rising in 2011, corporate CFOs will again be back in the spotlight to communicate their funding and liquidity strategy as global credit markets tighten and bankers pass through cost increases to corporate Australia – be prepared for this including the risk mitigation strategies employed by the company;
3. Risk Management – In the current environment, the financial community is expected to have a renewed interest around risk management including systems, processes, culture and how risk management supports the corporate strategy – use this as an opportunity to differentiate your organisation and build confidence in the business platform;
4. Topical Issues – These are numerous although there are common threads to questions likely to be raised. Such topical issues may well include sovereign/political risk, regulatory/legislative change, consumer/business environment, market/economic conditions, skills shortage – prepare for these inevitable questions, have a corporate position and demonstrate thought leadership; and
5. Strategy – Take the earnings season as an opportunity to focus more of the communications around the company’s strategy and less around historical financial results. Each of the likely issues to arise can be framed in the context of the corporate strategy reinforcing key messages.

Do you have any insights, predictions or tips for the trends coming up in 2012 that you would like to share? Let us know - it could be anything: investor relations; digital strategy; government; corporate social responsibility; and the list goes on. Send us your ideas and your blog posts!

Putting the heart into crisis communication

Guest blog post: Michelle Palmer, Manager Corporate Communications, Powerlink Queensland

The week of 9th January marked the one year anniversary of Queensland’s most severe flooding in 100 years and it will soon be a year on from another of Queensland’s 2011 natural disasters - severe Cyclone Yasi. Yasi crossed the coast south of Innisfail in the early hours of Thursday 3 February 2011. It was said to be the ‘State’s worst cyclone in history,’ with gale force winds of 285km per hour interrupting power supply to over 40,000 customers and causing millions of dollars worth of damage to property and crops.

When I look back on our approach to crisis communication for Yasi (which was recognised through the Golden Target Awards in 2011), along with the approaches we have taken to other major crisis communication situations over the years (also recognised through PRIA awards), I have come to the conclusion that the aspect of ‘heart’ in our approach was what helped us achieve such positive outcomes.

It is a privilege and significant responsibility to have the opportunity to contribute to the recovery efforts of a community following a natural disaster. It is also an opportunity to demonstrate your organisation’s ‘citizenship in action’. Not just through the delivery of a smooth operational and communication response, but through really demonstrating respect, compassion and understanding for the people you are communicating to – putting the ‘heart’ into your response.

By ‘heart’ I mean really connecting with the key stakeholders – the community leaders, emergency services and media outlets – who are at the front line, championing their community’s recovery. To really listen to – and understand how – your organisation can make the most relevant difference to their plight, to make operational decisions based on what you are being told and ensure that stakeholders understand how their input has informed your actions.

After keeping people safe and ensuring they have a place to sleep, returning the supply of electricity to a region is one of the most vital activities in a recovery effort. The technical job of repairing the lines was one that could have been managed from anywhere – but for us, being on the spot and engaging with those affected was vital.

Directly before the cyclone our COO and I travelled to Townsville to wait for the cyclone to pass. This enabled us to be on the ground immediately following the cyclone and able to liaise with front line responders and do things such as work-in with an Army Black Hawk helicopter run to patrol for damage to the transmission network and meet with Mayors of stricken towns in person to understand their most initial and urgent needs.

We put a lot of ‘heart’ into our response through ongoing face-to-face meetings and follow up calls with those Mayors and other key stakeholders to understand their evolving situation, their needs and concerns and, eventually, their successes.

Their feedback genuinely influenced our COO’s operational decisions and shaped how we communicated more broadly. Beyond that, we were also able to add additional value by putting them in touch with people we knew could help with other issues that may not have been directly related to our area of business.

Today there is a lot of talk around ‘genuine’ stakeholder engagement and participation. We are all getting better at doing this as part of ‘business as usual’ – but we also need to remember these concepts during times of crisis.

You can only be in the position to do this through a committed best practice approach to crisis preparedness. Ensuring that relevant operational and communication processes, team structure and supporting resources are well practiced and in sync with priorities frees up the ‘brain space’ in the middle of a crisis go that extra step and put real ‘heart’ into your response.

Hopefully in 2012 we don’t receive a Golden Target Award for crisis response because we are practising our crisis preparedness through exercises and not via the real thing – I think Queenslander’s are ready for a rest from natural disasters.

Your SMART New Year's Resolution

Guest blog: Pam Lassiter, Founder of Lassiter Consulting, a boutique career coaching firm, and author of the award winning book, The New Job Security. First featured on ‘Personal Branding Network’ on December 27, 2010.

That’s about to change.

This year, as the ball is lowering in Times Square and you’re filling your glass with champagne, turn to the dearest person in your life and say, “Let’s toast to my New Year’s Resolution. I’m going to have a recognized brand by this time next year.”

Let me know your Significant Other’s reaction.

A brand quiz
Let’s do a quick association test. Say the first word that comes into your mind when you see these company names:

Volvo:
BMW:
Ford:
Edsel:
You:

You raced right through the first four, didn’t you? Safety, performance, truck (okay, that’s where my brain goes), and failure are reputations that the companies have worked hard to associate with their products, even the “failure” one with Edsel. Do you pass an association test? Does a key word or reputation pop out of your mouth when you’re looking at “you” on the list?

Now’s the perfect time

What key word would you like to be associated with by this time next year? You can pick out a “soft” identify (leader, communicator, team builder) or a hard one (financial analyst, software coder, bi-lingual). The act of picking one is the important part. Not to worry. You have 2012 to build on, deepen, or change what you began in 2011, but now is the time to get started. Waiting for the perfect idea to come along can freeze you into inaction, so just pick one…now!

Poof! You just got SMART

So you’ve chosen your goal for 2011…to have a clearer reputation as a leader by the end of the year, let’s say. Bravo. Now, how do we make it SMART?

George Doran introduced SMART goals in 1981 in The Management Review as a way to make things happen. Goals like, “I’d like to be a better leader” are New Year’s Failures because they’re too vague. Meet his five requirements for your own brand goal and you’ll reverse any vagueness that may have plagued you by the next time you wear party hats and make champagne toasts.

A SMART Goal is:

S: Specific
M: Measurable
A: Attainable
R: Relevant, Results-focused
T: Time-bound

Making your brand SMART

How could you convert your goal to be known as a leader into a SMART goal?

“I’ll volunteer to lead the integration project that starts in February and have positive evaluations by my team on leadership skills using a 360 assessment. We’ll have the IT, financial, and human resource consolidation plans agreed upon by Q4.”

You couldn’t get much SMARTer than that. Do you see all five parts of the SMART goal definition coming into play? Can you imagine what pulling that off will do for your brand as a leader?

Pick something big and hairy

You don’t need to be timid and shoot too low with the goal you’re going to pick to demonstrate your brand. Leading the company picnic isn’t going to get you the bonus points that you need to advance your career and paycheck. As long as you meet the SMART goals test, you’re not going to choose a goal that isn’t “Attainable.” Be “Audacious.”

After all, you have a whole year to do it.

Let’s meet same time, same place, next year and compare notes. You’re going to be easy to find because your brand will be glowing.

‘Tis the season for giving

Guest blog post: Lachlan McKenzie APRIA – Account Manager, BBS Communications

Since joining the ranks of the public relations industry earlier in 2011, I have been pleasantly surprised about the way public relations can help not-for-profit organisations in simple ways, to extend their research and amplify their awareness across target publics.

Coming from a government background and into a consultancy has given me a healthy cynicism for how charities are viewed by an often apathetic corporate sector and a great deal of sympathy for an ever growing concentration of fundraising events battling it out for media attention. All of this combined has given me more motivation to try and get the best outcomes for our not-for-profit clients.

The case in point comes to Vinnies CEO Sleepout that is being held for the third time in Brisbane in 2012. I was fortunate enough to be involved in the planning and implementation of the media plan for the 2011 event and have since taken on the account for next year.

Vinnies CEO Sleepout is a national fundraising event and the biggest in the Vinnies calendar. It asks CEOs of all industries to sleep out on concrete barely softened by cardboard for one night in June, and by doing so increase awareness about Vinnies’ mission and request sponsorship from their networks to fundraise for the organisation.

The 2011 event was a great step forward for Vinnies in comparison to the inaugural Queensland Sleepout in 2010. These outcomes included:

- Doubling the Queensland CEO participation to 116 sleeping out on the night
- Raising over half a million dollars for Vinnies Queensland
- Having the largest fundraising increase in comparison to the 2010 event across the country
- Securing over 160 media hits

Now that we’re sitting down to work out how we can make the 2012 event a bigger success for Vinnies, I’ve come to a few simple truths that help us as ethical public relations practitioners engage with not-for-profits and help them in ways regular hourly work does not always quantify. They’re easier and less of a challenge than you’d think.

The major contribution we offer not-for-profits is our reach to the corporate sector, and ability to package up their offering to target different industries.

• Being corporate beasts ourselves most of the time, means we understand the business dealings of the private sector and can link one sector to another by forging a conduit that appeals to both parties.
• Along with this we have a natural array of networks across different industries that look to us for advice which more often than not comes down to reputation management.
• This is simple stuff when it comes to not-for-profits because all corporates need a vehicle to show their commitment and in some cases investment in corporate social responsibility.
• Because not-for-profits, like most other organisations, are so driven by their profession or mission, they can sometimes limit the benefit of their offering by forgetting who they are talking to.
• As an intermediary that should understand their clients background thoroughly, we can help suggest ways to appeal to different corporates and get some internal buy-in along the way.

The deficiency I find has been most parties view the relationship as money for publicity, but it can be far easier, less superficial and more beneficial than an exchange of funding.

• The biggest barrier to attracting corporates to link with a not-for-profit is working to identify links common in both organisations to spark this appeal.
• It doesn’t always need to come down to money and it can be a far easier transaction of resources, especially for the corporate.
• Exposure to membership at an event, in-kind support with a venue or even direct services of the corporate’s chosen profession are often far more accessible forms of appeal from the not-for-profit’s point of view.

I’m hoping some of these ideas can help you out next time you look at working with a client for the not-for-profit sector and you can wow them with your networks and ability to talk the lingo.

I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t plug the Vinnies CEO Sleep out, happening nationally on 21 June 2012 – sign up your boss or yourself if you’re in a management position: www.ceosleepout.org.au

It’s a great way to help out one of our oldest and well established charities, as well as reach out and meet operators from different sectors.

World Public Relations Forum Research Colloquium - Call for Abstracts

Theme: Communication Without Borders

This year, PRIA will host the 7th World Public Relations Forum in Melbourne from 18 to 20 November.

The forum includes a full-day research colloquium, and two-day conference program. It will bring together thought leaders, industry experts, researchers, educators, and delegates from around the world.

The forum aims to examine, explore and reflect on the impact of globalization on our profession within the context of rapid changes. As global communities merge and media systems converge, the boundaries within which we communicate are blurring and disappearing. The shifts in economic and political power present new challenges and opportunities for public relations and communication practitioners and scholars. Global issues such as climate change, health, food security, poverty reduction and transitioning democracies offer our discipline a much larger template in which to work. Stakeholders and audiences are not easily defined as they become more mobile, more media-savvy and more multicultural. Moreover, audiences are active ‘produsers’ of media messages in a world interconnected by advancing technologies.

It is within this context that we ask how organisations and individual practitioners respond to this new world without borders? How will universities prepare future practitioners for this shifting template? How do we connect and meaningfully engage with cultures that may otherwise be unfamiliar? Will English continue to be the lingua franca of the profession? How will public relations be positioned with advertising, marketing, public diplomacy and strategic communication? To what extent should the practice move from a ‘command and control’ to an ‘inform and influence’ model of communication? Will ethics and corporate social responsibility drive organisations to maintain their social license to operate? What is the role of public relations in society, and in engendering social change?

Academics and practitioners are invited to submit 500-word abstracts that address these questions or others that relate to the main conference theme. There is also an opportunity to submit 1500-word extended abstracts for consideration in published conference proceedings. Also, a special issue of the Asia-Pacific Public Relations Journal will publish selected papers from the colloquium. The Journal of Communication Management will also accept a limited number of papers. An international panel of scholars will review the submissions.

Selected abstracts will be considered for presentation in the research colloquium and the two-day conference. Please indicate if you have a preference.

Deadlines

23 January Submission of abstracts opens
29 February Submission of abstracts closes
15 April Notification of results
31 May Confirmation of acceptance of abstract and conference attendance
30 June Submission of extended abstracts and full papers due

Please submit your abstracts to info@worldprforum.com. If you have any queries, please contact Dr Marianne Sison, Chair, Academic Program Committee: marianne.sison@rmit.edu.au

Moving clients from tactical to strategic is a two-way street

Guest blog: Jeanette Bitz, owner and principal of Engage PR, a public relations firm that sees itself as a communications partner whose role is to ‘raise visibility and build mindshare for clients across all forms of digital media’. First featured on ‘PRWeek’ on December 7, 2011.

It's easy to complain about clients that seem firmly set in tactical mode. We're also all aware of clients who have let an agency go because of its lack of strategic insight or inability to drive a successful PR program.

Clients seek PR support because they have a business challenge or a goal in mind, but it is sometimes presented in tactical terms and short timeframes. For example, the client wants to launch a product next month, secure an industry award, or garner more coverage than competitors. Or the client may just want you to handle media relations and speaking opportunities. As PR counselors, we need to guide their thinking.

These thoughts on thinking strategically and staying on strategy can help to ensure everyone is reading from the same PR plan.

PR professionals should ask questions that will help client executives think in larger terms about overall business and marketing goals.

They should also establish expectations for PR and educate clients on the role PR plays in contributing to sales and business success. Be upfront and honest about what is and is not achievable.
 

PR practitioners should also be objective, while showing that we understand the client's technology and industry, that we know market conditions and the competitive landscape, and that we can respond creatively to communications opportunities and challenges.

Show we understand how PR fits within the larger marketing mix and amplifies and extends other channels. This is critical to building agency credibility and hence the client's willingness to seek out and accept PR counsel.

PR professionals must also demonstrate a systematic approach to PR planning and goal-setting. Gaining client buy-in to a PR plan that identifies measureable goals and objectives by audience, and that links key strategies and tactics to them, is critical to success.

Another goal should be to maintain the agreed-upon PR plan as a living document, regularly reviewing and updating it according to results-to-date and changing realities.

PR practitioners should also refer to the PR plan to focus both client and agency on what is or is not a strategic use of time or budget. The agency should spend its time on projects of greatest strategic impact, not on seductive but low-value opportunities or standalone tactics.

Ultimately, being a strategic partner in achieving results and managing resources is the best way to ensure that clients also behave strategically.
 

Converting fans into customers

Guest blog: Mark Cameron, CEO of Working Three, a social media and digital strategy agency that is ‘future focused’. First featured on ‘MarketingMag.com.au’ on December 6, 2011.

As 2011 winds down, and before the party season gets underway, it is worth putting time aside to take stock and plan for the the coming months. 2012 will see social media marketing shift gears in a big way. Now is the time to consider how to convert your social media ‘fans’ into customers.

Much has been discussed about return on investment (ROI) in the social media space. Some commentators say ROI needs to focus on areas like brand perception and customer satisfaction – but these are notoriously difficult measure accurately. While I agree that these areas need to be taken into consideration, not having well defined metrics and ignoring conversion goals simply makes no sense. In short, there needs to be clear alignment with the business objectives.

The great thing about social media is it allows you to capture vast quantities of demographic and psychometric data. This data can, and should, be used for targeted messaging. The segments you market to will be fairly broad to start with but will become increasingly granular over time. After testing the waters it will be possible to economically communicate to individuals with tailored messaging – messaging that understands the individual on a personal level.

You don’t always need a ‘hard sell’ approach to move potential customers down a sales conversion path. Sometimes it’s enough to show them that you know and care and are prepared to communicate on a personal level. In this ultra-personalised digital world, your market, particularly the segment that has grown up on the web, now expect everything to be personalised. In fact it is often the only way to get noticed.

A research report published in October this year from the Australian Centre of Retail Studies concluded that the more channels in which a consumer encounters a particular brand, the more likely they are to purchase and the higher their overall spend will be. The lesson here is not rocket science. Once you have used social media to develop your contact list, find out how to communicate with them via email, mobile, social media and your website. Get all the channels working together.

The final step on the conversion journey is the execution. Communicating in a customised way via multiple channels can be expensive if there is not a strong system sitting in the background. What’s more, these interactions in social media mean that you are never sure when someone will take the first step in the conversion cycle. Platforms like ExactTarget allow you to not only automate communications through many different channels, but also provide the necessary tools to refine the sales strategy as additional customer data flows in.

So it is possible to create an effective social media conversion strategy. Just remember to keep things simple and stay focused on what the customer wants.

This week on Broadcast PR: what the future holds for the PR industry

This week on Broadcast PR, Jack Herbert, Adviser at CPR Communications and Public Relations joins us for the final time to share his ideas about what the future will bring for the PR industry. In discussing social and political climate’s impact on the Public Relations industry, and explaining what the internet means as a new medium for communication, Jack highlights the potential challenges and opportunities this future will likely bring to practitioners.

Make sure, to tune in next week as we hear from our next industry professional, Nicola Mendleson.

As Jack said, events such as PRIA’s Young Communicators events provide a valuable opportunity to young practitioners to get together and share their thoughts and insights about the Public Relations industry. For more information about any of these upcoming events visit our events page.

Today on Broadcast PR: bridging the gap between people and ideas

This week on Broadcast PR Jack Herbert, Adviser at CPR Communications and Public Relations discusses the challenge practitioners face in trying to combat the public’s negative perception of the industry and prove its worth as a bridge between people and an idea.

Don’t forget to join us next week as Jack Herbert shares his predictions for what the future will bring to the communications and public relations industry.
 

PRIA to support AMEC Asia Pacific Summit on Measurement

Today we have announced that PRIA will be an active participant in the International Association for Measurement and Evaluation of Communication’s (AMEC) first Asia Pacific Summit on Measurement to be held in Hong Kong on the 29th February and 1st March, 2012.

“As a Summit Industry Supporter, PRIA is proud to be part of this new initiative, encouraging us all to take another look at the methods we use to measure the value of public relations performance,” said Jon Bisset, PRIA Chief Executive.

“We are looking forward to not only supporting the Summit, but to also building a lasting relationship with AMEC for the benefit of our members – particularly through active participation in the work of the Asia Pacific Chapter on new measurement guidelines.”

AMEC is the international standards body for communications research and evaluation, which created the Barcelona Principles framework. It has over 100 members in 38 countries, including Australia.

“Australia is looking forward to contributing in the debate at the Summit, and beyond,” Jon continued.

“We hope that PRIA members will take the opportunity to let Summit organisers know who they would like to see on the programme and what they would like to discuss there.”

John Croll, CEO of Media Monitors and the Chair of AMEC’s new Asia Pacific Chapter said he was delighted PRIA was supporting the Summit.

“I know there is real interest in Australia and within the region to embrace new techniques to help PR professionals prove the value of the work they do for corporate clients.”

“We’re encouraging PRIA members to help us shape the Summit by sending us ideas for speaker sessions and hope some members will be in the audience in Hong Kong in February. This is our opportunity in Australia to be a part of global best practice thinking.”

Croll added that AMEC was already committed to working with PRIA to develop new measurement guidelines.

Full details including registration details are available on the Summit website. If you have an idea for a speaker or theme of a presentation please email barryleggetter@amecorg.com.

Celebrity Endorsement – A New Practitioner’s Event

Guest blog post: Boleyn Iles, intern with PRIA National. Boleyn is a student at the University of Western Sydney, completing a degree in Communications and majoring in Public Relations.

Aim high! This was a notion encouraged by speakers at PRIA’s ‘Celebrity Endorsement’, is it right for your campaign?’ event, held at trendy nightspot ‘Gotham’ in Darlinghurst Tuesday 29th November.

Craig Eardley, public relations consultant for the Greater Business Society learnt the value of aiming high when his campaign was able to secure TV comedy legend Jerry Seinfeld, “You never know what you’re going to achieve unless you ask” said Eardley. There are three do’s and three don’ts of celebrity endorsement that Eardley suggests all PR practitioners follow.

The Do’s: Aim High! Anticipate issues and announce your celebrity acquisition. In announcing Seinfeld, over 2.5 million dollars in free publicity was generated, and that was before any advertisements were released.

The Don’ts: Celebrity slap. Assume that your client or others understand the value of PR. Over promote or over rely on your celebrity.

Anyone remember when Oprah came to town? Well, Karen Eck, Managing Director of eckfactor controlled the publicity for the Queen of Talk, Oprah Winfrey during her Ultimate Australian Adventure in 2010. Eck advised that it’s all about ‘ME…E’, Money, Ego and Effect. It’s important to ask why your celebrity wants to be involved in your campaign, “There are only three reasons why someone would become associated with a brand… is money the motivation?... do [they] really like the brand?... [Or is it that they want to] make an impact?” Eck said.

“Celebrities aren’t always the answer” warns Client Executive at Burson Marstella Charlotte Ferrand. Canadian Clubs “Over Beer?” campaign utilised the drinking habits of one of Australia’s most beloved sportsmen David Boon who successfully generated a great deal of conversation when he was caught drinking Canadian Club Whisky. To effectively administer the campaign Ferrand followed her own set of ‘Takeaways’ (guidelines). These principals include:

1. Knowing your celebrity, know their relationship with the media. How do they perform in front of a camera?
2. Always aim high and look for that big opportunity!
3. Work closely with your client’s other agencies. Really try to involve PR from the beginning.
4. Make sure the celebrity is right for your campaign. There needs to be a reason for the celebrity’s involvement. And remember sometimes, celebrities aren’t always the answer.

How do you manage a celebrity? Marina Paul, Client Manager Executive for IMG Talent Management provided some great insight into the world of a celebrity, and the impact they can have on brand recognition. Of course celebrities can have a positive effect on a campaign, however we need to use them wisely, it’s “not always the obvious associates that are the best”.

On a personal note, the atmosphere was great and the personalities were friendly, making this event a great opportunity to learn, network with likeminded people and have fun at the same time!

Jack Herbert on Broadcast PR: Career Highlights

Today on Broadcast PR Jack Herbert, Adviser at CPR Communications and Public Relations shares the highlights of his career so far, and the rewarding nature of working alongside a range of consultants and using his skills as a PR practitioner to do some social good.

Be sure to join us next week as Jack discusses what he perceives to be the biggest challenge of PR practitioners everywhere.

Does the name ‘Public relations’ reflect what we do now?

Guest blog post: An article based upon the proposition put forward by David Van MPRIA of The De Wintern Group at the PRIA national conference, PR Directions, at a panel debate entitled “A Can of Worms” October 2011

One of the biggest can of worms in the world of public relations is the age old argument of whether the title ‘Public Relations’ still reflects what we do as an industry. The issue came to a head for me late last year when I was part of a panel advising a university on their public relations masters programme. It was the advice of the panel that the programme should focus on the management of communications rather than the simple practice of it – similar to how an MBA teaches students the strategies behind managing a business rather than how to just operate one.

When we came to discussing the naming of the course, which was along the lines of a “Masters of Communication Management’, I flippantly said that I thought the whole industry should be renamed this, as it better reflects what public relations practitioners actually do. One of the panel got most indignant and said “Relating to the public is at the heart of what we do!” I bit my tongue as I could see there was no point in arguing, however it triggered in me the question of what is Public Relations today and how do we ensure it remains relevant to businesses?

I cannot speak for all practitioners; however at De Wintern relating to publics is such a limited view of what we actually do, so much so that it bears little resemblance to what we do at all. Thinking through our current client work, what we do includes the following:

• CEO profile enhancement
• Reputation management
• Litigation support
• Issues management
• Crisis management
• Government relations
• Investor relations

None of these have much to do with ‘relating to the public’ but rather they are about influencing stakeholders to achieve business outcomes. Often they are more about NOT relating to the public than simply relating stories to the public. By that I mean often our work is as much about controlling what information is made public. This is not obfuscation but necessary modern business practice. (For example ASX Listing Rules guide what and when a company can discuss information.) Our role as PR professionals is to influence and not simply distribute information.

At the risk of sounding as if I am contradicting myself, I would like to go on the record and say that I am actually in favour of the title ‘Public Relations’ Why ? It has a rich history dating back to 1949 in Australia and through common usage I believe it has come to adequately cover all the aspects of the industry as a general descriptor. However I do think it is necessary to assess its relevance from time to time and in particular ensure that the industry is providing professional services that go beyond simple story telling.

So why is it important to open this can of worms at all then? It is important as an industry, that we constantly assess our capabilities and our relevance to business. I feel that as an industry we are not good at introspection or at least we are seldom mature enough to learn from what we see and grow from this.

If we allow the industry to be dumbed-down, to be purely marketing focussed and media obsessed it risks becoming irrelevant and this adversely affect the careers of all practitioners.

If you want to see how an industry is preforming one of the best tests is to assess how many of its practitioners end up as a CEO or at least in the C-Suite of a company. The truth for PR is that there are very few. Of those who do rise up through the ranks, many stop identifying themselves as PR practitioners and adopt titles such as Head of Corporate Affairs, Director of Corporate Communication and so on.

So why do they pull away? I suspect it because they see that the simple media relations and storytelling aspect signified by the term “Public relations” just doesn’t reflect what they do.

So how do we get the C-Suite to take us seriously? The first step is to demonstrate that communications professionals are tasked with managing the most valuable asset of an organisation- its reputation. We do this by demonstrating that we understand reputation and what can affect it, that we are able to strengthen it and have the right tools to protect it. This is when you will have the C-Suite taking notice.

From a professional standing point of view, generating coverage for our clients is important but it is just not enough. If we, as PR or communications professionals, want to compete for leadership positions we need to become more business focussed. We need to work together to move the industry away from what seems like a single minded pursuit of media clippings and Facebook ‘Likes’ to managing what CEO’s and board members truly care about. If we reduce the communications function to simple, tactical media relations we add little value to an organisation and devalue the role of Public Relations.

I believe that companies need to demand more from their PR agencies. Since many large agencies must maintain dividend flow back to the parent company it can be too easy for agencies to propose the simplest programmes possible but this sells short what consultancies should offer.

Agencies should be the generators of what is best practice and developers of useful processes and tools. Consultancies should be innovators not just implementers. I believe communications consultancies should model themselves to be more like leading business consultancies such as McKinsey, etc. Smart agencies don’t just improve your clipping count they help improve the structure and strategy of both how and why organisations communicate.

By all means have your agency assist with media relations, they should, however demand they also provide you with real tools and programmes that actually help you build and protect your company’s reputation.

Why my company doesn’t need social media monitoring…

Guest blog: Jessica Whittaker is the lead Product Evangelist for BuzzNumbers and works alongside clients in their initial stages of understanding their online and social media landscape and how to make the first steps in the monitoring journey.
Connect with Jessica on Twitter (@jessdoubleya) and LinkedIn

I often speak with clients who make the crazy statement above, and I have thoroughly enjoyed going on the journey with them as they learn more about how monitoring can impact their business. They have discovered that monitoring is not only important for their organisation, but it’s also a vital tool that enables their business to stay relevant in their marketplace (regardless of the industry) by knowing what their audience is saying and where they are saying it.

I thought I would share a few of the common reasons that have been given as to why they initially thought they didn’t need to monitor, and what they’ve learnt as we explored these reasons further.
________________________________________________________

“We haven’t got our social media strategy together so there is no use in monitoring at this point…”

When have you ever put a strategy together without researching prior? If you were to launch a TVC would you test the commercial on an audience first? Before you launch a new product would you use focus groups to make sure the product meets the consumers’ needs?

I’m sure most of you answered YES to the above questions! In both of these cases, you’d want to make sure that you were headed in the right direction by gaining insight into your targeted audience first…so why would putting together a strategy for social media be any different? Social media monitoring is a fast and effective way of gauging what is being said about your company/product/services/industry prior to getting involved in the social space. Consumers are speaking about organisations online regardless of whether or not those businesses are participating in the conversations, so monitoring provides a great baseline to gauge what consumers care about and where they talking online.

“No one talks about our company online “

The first question I ask when clients tell me this is – If you’re not monitoring the online space, then how do you know?

One of my clients is a trucking business (not a super sexy brand). They entered into a listening trial to monitor social media thinking that there wouldn’t be a lot of people, if anyone, speaking about them. Much to their surprise (and delight!), they found a community of brand advocates that had created a ‘love blog’ specific to their trucks in a country where the trucks aren’t even sold!

Their monitoring exercise was a light bulb for them and the discovery of this group of brand advocates created a new perspective about how they could identify and engage with brand advocates to promote brand loyalty.

I also encourage organisations that have this mindset to look outside of their brand bubble and think about tracking their competitors, key industry terms, Government ministers that may impact their business activity, or key spokespeople. If you are a services business, you can track your clients in order to better understand the clients’ brand and how it’s perceived, and to ultimately better those client relationships.

“We have no resource to manage it.”

Often times when this reason is given, this means that they are not doing anything to monitor online and social media, which is a big risk for the company! What if someone puts out a negative tweet or blog post, and you’re unaware of it until it becomes a bigger issue and is brought to your attention?

A monitoring tool helps low-resourced businesses by doing the hard work and bringing all mentions from multiple sources into one place. Your employees won’t have to try and look across multiple sites to find mentions, and this saved time allows them to use that time to review any mentions that a monitoring tool has brought back. At a very basic level, reading through the daily alerts brought back by monitoring takes less than 20 minutes a day and gives you the peace of mind of knowing you’re aware of what people are saying about the topics that matter to you online.

As you can see from the client experiences detailed above, we’ve found that businesses can’t afford to NOT monitor in today’s market. The amount of information and views expressed and shared in online and social media continues to grow, and businesses that don’t capitalise upon this opportunity to learn about and engage with their consumers will be left behind.

Still not convinced? In that case, send along your reason for why your company doesn’t need to monitor social media. I would be happy to accompany you on your journey and I’m certain we will discover just how integral and beneficial monitoring social media will be for your organisation!

Broadcast PR with Jack Herbert: why I chose a career in PR

This week on Broadcast PR we meet Jack Herbert, Adviser at CPR Communications and Public Relations. Jack shares with us why he decided to take a shift in direction at university towards PR, and what attracted him to the industry.

Next week Jack will talk about what inspires him the most about working in the PR and communication industry.

One year until Melbourne welcomes the World Public Relations Forum

In exactly one year, public relations and corporate communication professionals from around the world will be in Melbourne for the Seventh World Public Relations Forum — and today we're announcing the theme for the conference: Communication without borders.

The Forum will be hosted by PRIA for members of the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management , the confederation of the world’s major public relations and communication industry associations.

“Our theme — Communication without borders — reflects the global nature of the World Public Relations Forum, and of communication today,” said Global Alliance Chair Daniel Tisch. “Communication is transforming global society, and the Forum is an opportunity to break down barriers, enhance intercultural understanding, and consider how to enhance our profession’s contributions to our organisations — and to our world.”

You can keep up to date with the developing program and make comments and suggestions on the WPRF Facebook page.

PRIA will host the WPRF, supported by the Global Alliance, from the 18th to 20th November 2012 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Bringing together world leaders in communication - new methods, research and ideas in the field of professional communication will be presented and workshopped. It is also an opportunity for Australia to showcase the excellence of its public relations and communication practice.

The Global Alliance’s recently released international survey aims to identify the key trends and advocacy priorities of public relations professionals around the world and is an opportunity for public relations and communication professionals to input into the global advocacy initiative leading up to the WPRF. The survey will play a key role in informing the advocacy section of the WPRF program agenda in Melbourne.

Registrations for the World Public Relations Forum are now open for early bird rates, or those just wanting to know more can register their interest here.

MaryLee Sachs interviewed by Trevor Young at PR Directions 2011

MaryLee Sachs, Senior Marketing Consultant and author of 'The Changing MO of the CMO' spoke with Trevor Young for Broadcast PR during PR Directions in Sydney

Siler to lead Victorian Registered Consultancies Group

At yesterday’s PRIA Victoria Council Meeting, Caroline Siler was appointed as the chair of the Registered Consultancies Group (RCG) in Victoria.

Call for Expressions of Interest: NEAC

The PRIA Board at their recent meeting in conjunction with PR Directions re-affirmed that PRIA has a vital responsibility as an advisor in the development and maintenance of post secondary education programs to ensure they reflect current theory, practice, professional values, industry needs and relevancy.

To enable PRIA to meet this responsibility the Board agreed to restructure the current National Education Committee so that it consists of seven to nine members, including one PRIA Board member. NEAC members will be appointed on merit by the Board, ensuring geographical, gender and sector (university, private provider, vocational training, industry etc) diversity.

Expressions of Interest are now sought from interested people. EOIs should include a short CV and a statement of no more than 150 words of what experience you would bring to the NEAC. EOIs should be emailed to the PRIA National Education Officer, Julian Kenny, on julian.kenny@pria.com.au before 10am Monday 28th November. Those interested in Chairing the NEAC should indicate this in their EOI.

Today on Broadcast PR: Social media and the future of PR

This week on Broadcast PR, in her last video, Hayley Skinner, Director of Have you Hear Public Relations and Communication, shares her predictions for what the future will bring for the PR industry. As well as discussing the power that social media has in directly communicating with younger generations, Hayley also explores how clever internal communication can help turn an organisation into an ‘employer of choice’.

As Hayley said, PRIA events represent an opportunity to hear from people across the media and learn how to better represent your clients. For more information on these events visit the Education & Training and Events & Awards pages on our website.

Brian Solis interviewed by Trevor Young at PR Directions 2011

Following his keynote speech at PR Directions: 'From fiction to fact to future–the story of social media', Brian Solis was interviewed by Trevor Young from Edelman.

Hear from Brian about his latest book, 'The End of Business as Usual', the position of the PR profession today, how PR practitioners can work more effectively, and the importance of resonance in ROI in the video below.

Today on Broadcast PR: the challenge of setting realistic expectations

This week on Broadcast PR, Hayley Skinner, Director of Have you Hear Public Relations and Communication discusses the importance of setting realistic expectations for clients, and the challenges faced by PR practitioners as they must compete for the same media space.

Make sure to tune in next week as Hayley shares her predictions for the future of the PR industry and the importance of social media as a communication tool.

Ready Set Network

Guest blog: Karen Harrison, APRIA, Internal Communication Coordinator, Melbourne Water and member of the Young Communicators group in Victoria.

While we have all heard the saying 'it's not what you know it's who you know', those who attended last week’s Young Communicators’ Ready Set Network event now have the inside tips to put the theory of 'who you know' into practice and stand out from the crowd.

Last Tuesday, PRIA's Young Communicators Group played host to networking gurus, who were there to share their expertise on how to network smart and explain the importance of making networking your business.

Guests were treated to Bev Brough's (Director, Master Networking) top ten tips for how to network successfully and Julie-Anne Black's (founder & CEO, Be Brilliant Now) creative insights for building your self-confidence and self-esteem.

After learning the essentials, guests were then invited to put their newly gained skills to practice, by working the room and meeting fellow PR practitioners and students - all in the name of networking and professional development!

Thanks to everyone who came along and supported the event, in particular our networking gurus Bev and Julie-Anne who kindly donated their time and amazing knowledge. More information about Bev and Julie-Anne can be found on their websites below.

http://masternetworking.com.au/

http://www.bebrilliantnow.com.au/
 

Queensland New Practitioner Set to Bite the Big Apple

Rowland consultant, Sarah Golding, will start 2012 on a public relations study tour in New York City after being awarded the 2011/12 Ian Robertson Award. The award recognises an outstanding new or emerging public relations professional in Queensland.

Ian “Robbo” Robertson was a leading Australian public relations practitioner and Chair of the College of Fellows in Queensland, who passed away in October 2009 aged just 62. The Ian Robertson Award was established in 2010 by Fellows in Queensland, to remember Robbo’s encouragement of young public relations professionals.

A field of exceptional and talented new public relations professionals was nominated for the Ian Robertson Award, judged by a panel of Queensland Fellows. The nominees all demonstrated excellence in the practice and study of public relations, and a commitment to the ethical practice and the profession of public relations.

Chair of the judging panel Ian Dymock said experiencing the public relations profession in New York City was a fantastic opportunity for Sarah to build on her already impressive career in public relations consulting.

“We’re working with Robbo’s daughter Kylie to finalise a wonderful itinerary for Sarah’s study tour,” Ian said.

Kylie Robertson has been working as a public relations consultant in New York City for almost 20 years, and will host Sarah during her stay.

Sarah said she was proud to be representing the outstanding calibre of Australia's young public relations professionals.

"This is an amazing opportunity to showcase the exceptional standard of work our industry is producing and I'm looking forward to sharing my experiences and learnings from New York with other young practitioners when I return."

Sarah is a consultant in Rowland’s Public Affairs team and graduated from QUT at the end of 2009.
 

Congratulations to the prize draw winners at PR Directions

For those who attended PR Directions last week, there was the chance to win either a free registration for the World Public Relations Forum (WPRF 2012) in Melbourne next November, or a Swinburne University Scholarship (valued at $5000).

PRIA is pleased to announce the winners of these two prize draws – and congratulates them both!

Winner of the WPRF 2012 registration
Laurene Coller, Communications Officer, Central Australian Aboriginal Congress

Winner of the Swinburne Scholarship
Rebecca Newton, Senior Nursing Officer – Marketing, Nursing and Midwifery Office, Western Australian Department of Health

PR firms: the first recourse for reputation management service

Managing reputation is important for organisations and individuals alike but fundamental for large corporations and governments in particular. This is according to PR consultancy heads from around the world, in the Q4 Trends Barometer survey by the ICCO.

When asked about the importance of actively monitoring and protecting reputation for large corporations, 66% of respondents deemed it “fundamental”, with an additional 20% rating it “very important”. For governments, the perception is similar: 53% cited reputation management as “fundamental”, and a further 28% labelled it “very important”.

For non-governmental/not-for-profit organisations as well as small and medium-sized companies, a majority of respondents (78% and 72% respectively) believe that taking care of reputation is “important” to “very important”.

Safeguarding the reputation of individuals, while still important, is viewed as slightly less essential compared to the other groups.

Service offering

The survey showed that reputation management services are most often provided by public relations consultants. 100% of respondents across 19¹ countries stated that PR firms offer these services in their home markets. The next most cited suppliers of reputation management are: reputation specialists (51%), management consulting (44%) and digital agencies (34%). A significant number also noted marketing services firms and advertising agencies as competitors in this area.

However, a large majority of survey respondents (83%) maintained that clients look first to public relations consultancies when seeking expertise in reputation.

Overall growth in PR

PR consultancy business is widely expected to remain stable or grow over the last quarter of the year. 34% of surveyed consultants predict fee income will increase, 51% say conditions will remain stable, and 15% expect income to shrink in Q4.

This forecast, while positive, is less optimistic than for the previous quarters of 2011, over which growth predictions progressively declined. At the end of January, 83% of consultancy heads predicted growth for 2011 versus 2010. In April, 71% expected short-term growth in fees to continue, and in July, 62% of respondents expected further growth for the quarter ahead.

¹PR consultancy heads from 19 countries participated in the Q4 Trends Barometer survey: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Croatia, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland and Turkey.

Hayley Skinner on Broadcast PR – Career Highlights

Today on Broadcast PR, Hayley Skinner, Director of Have you Heard Public Relations and Communication describes some of the highlights of her career to date including the personal satisfaction she gets from running her own consultancy and finding the best media placements for clients.

Join us next week as Hayley shares some of the challenges and opportunities she experiences as a member of the communication profession.

Did you miss the first Broadcast PR film with Hayley last week? Take a look now and hear how Hayley first came to work in the PR industry.
 

Story-telling still the most important skill of all

Guest blog: Phil Sim, Chief Executive Officer of media database and intelligence firm MediaConnect Australia and Editorial Director of Influencing.com.au.

Influencing is an online PR platform, which delivers reports daily on the latest news and moves from both the public relations and media industries.

So PR Directions 2011 has come and gone, and I think everyone who attended will agree it was a highly valuable and successful event.

It broached many different issues and topics, but for me there was this single paradox that was pervasive across all the sessions and presentations that I had the opportunity to attend. That is that the PR industry has changed, yet it is exactly the same.

Change is obvious to see. We were smacked over the head with it on Monday morning, when Brian Solis presented his keynote on social media. Social was undoubtedly a hot topic and judging by the packed conference rooms at everything that had anything to do with social, it’s a subject that public relations professionals are clamouring to keep pace with.

The former press secretary for Kevin Rudd, Lachlan Harris’ thought-provoking presentation on the rise of the opinion cycle over fact-based news was also indicative of major change in the traditional media relations space. If he’s on the money, it will have many PR pros scratching their heads because it represents a fundamental rewrite of the way traditional media approach stories, and also for the way stories unfold over time.

However, while the changing media landscape is throwing up all kinds of curve balls for PR professionals, it still struck me that there is one constant that remains exactly the same as it ever was. In the end, regardless of the medium and form that the message eventually makes use of, successful public relations still comes down to great story-telling.

Just to use the two examples cited already here. Without a great story to tell, you will never be successful at social media. Solis talked about the rise of brand journalism and a greater requirement for custom content created and direct brand channels. It’s true that organisations have such incredible platforms to tell their stories now, working with or without traditional media outlets, but anyone who has worked in content creation knows that a channel is just that and content will always be king.

And Harris’ assertion about the rise of opinion only makes that story-telling ability even more critical. Having great news to talk about is not enough anymore, Harris told us. Rather, you need your event to promote discussion and debate - again that’s where the ability to tell a story and create context and resonance comes into play.

When things change there is always the tendency to throw the baby out with the bathwater. Don’t fall for that. If you find yourself wondering if you’re being left behind, don’t panic. Everyone is still mastering these new channels, but as you come to grips with the new world order you’ll find that same core talent - the ability to identify where a story lies and how to make that story as compelling as possible, then finding the right channel to tell it - is still what lies at the heart of successful public relations and you only had to take a good look at the winners of the Golden Target Awards to see that is still the case.

Here at MediaConnect and Influencing.com.au, we had a great time exhibiting for the first time at a PR Directions conference. It was great to meet so many people in the community and we are definitely looking forward to the World Public Relations Forum next year in Melbourne.

Brian Solis on Brand Journalism and the ‘Connected Consumer’

Guest blog: Trevor Young, Director of Strategy and Innovation at Edelman Australia. First featured on Trevor’s blog, ‘The PR Warrior’  on Wednesday 26 October.

The PR Warrior provides 'Comments from the Marketing Frontline: News, Views, soapbox observations, and general riffs on all things public relations, marketing and communications, PR 2.0, social media, word-of-mouth and brand engagement.'

Best-selling author and renowned new media thinker Brian Solis delivered a neatly-packaged glimpse into the future of public relations during his opening keynote address at the Public Relations Institute of Australia’s PR Directions national conference in Sydney this week.

Could Solis have jam packed any more information into his one-hour presentation? I think not. That said, social media and its effect on PR and marketing is a massive multi-headed beast of a subject, and so props to Solis for being able to paint such a broad (but vivid) picture within his allotted one and a bit hours.

It was perfect timing because he has only just released his new book: The End of Business As Usual (Rewire the way you work to succeed in the consumer revolution) and the theme of his presentation was more or less along these lines.

Read the full blog post.

Global Alliance launches global survey on advocacy for public relation

On October 18 in Lugano, Switzerland the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management, the confederation of the world's major public relations and communication management associations and institutions, launched an international survey.

The online survey will explore the key trends and priorities of PR professionals from around the world.

The input of the Australian PR and communication profession will be significant, not least because we are set to welcome our international colleagues to Melbourne in just over a year’s time to demonstrate and share the expertise, insights and direction of our profession.

“For public relations and communication management, this is a time of transformational change and unprecedented opportunity to enhance our contributions to organizations and to society,” says Global Alliance Chair Daniel Tisch. “By identifying global industry trends and the priorities of Global Alliance members on every continent, the results of this survey will help shape the way we promote our global profession in the years to come.”

The Global Alliance has invited the leaders of its member associations to provide consolidated association responses, and also to share the survey widely with their members. The results will be shared in early 2012, and considered by the Global Alliance in planning a global advocacy initiative leading up to the Seventh World Public Relations Forum in Melbourne, Australia in November 2012. The survey will be open until December 16, 2011.

Among the trends the survey will explore are:

• The use of digital and social media in public and stakeholder relations;
• The value of research and data to drive and measure communications;
• The incorporation of behavioural and psychological sciences into public relations;
• The role of the practitioner in defining an organization’s character and culture; and
• The trend toward integrated reporting of an organization’s financial and societal performance.

To take the survey, click here.
 

The Rise, Rise (and Rise) of the Opinion Cycle

Guest blog post: Trevor Young, Director of Strategy and Innovation at Edelman. Article first featured on Trevor's blog: The PR Warrior Tuesday 25 October - written at PR Directions, the PRIA national conference in Sydney.

Day two of the Public Relations Institute of Australia's PR Directions conference kicked off with an in-your-face presentation by the former senior press secretary to PM Kevin Rudd, Lachlan Harris (pictured).

Harris's presentation - When your communication gets into a spin – the battle of policy vs populism - focused on "the rise and rise and rise of the opinion cycle" and why it has become more important than the news cycle.

Harris has examined the changes in the media over the past five years. His conclusion?

“Opinion happened”

He says: "Opinion has always been a big part of the media but never like it is now."

Harris contends the media industry, which has until recent years been driven by the traditional news cycle, has given way to the cycle of opinion (which includes tweets, blogs, talkback radio etc).

As far as the Australian media industry is concerned, “the apprentice has become the master – opinion reigns supreme”.

This in turn has resulted in "massive fundamental change" to the political landscape.

The rise of opinion is new and it’s fundamentally changing the way politics runs, he says.

News and opinion are intertwined but opinion cycle is "slowly smothering the news cycle".

Tweets, comments, blogs, email, talkback - collectively - are now more important and influential than the news story.

According to Harris, the difference between news and opinion is simple:

News is a flow of information that depends on facts, opinion is a flow of information that depends on argument.

“Opinion is a fundamentally different proposition to news”

So much of the information we’re exposed to in politics has little to do with facts.

Facts don’t matter, arguments do, he says.

According to Harris, five years ago Kerry O’Brien was the most influential media figure in Australia; today it’s Andrew Bolt (because he has a talent for provoking debate).

WHY IS THE MEDIA OBSESSED WITH OPINION?

“Opinion is cheaper than fact” – it's much easier to fill a page of opinion versus the volume of output required for fact-based reportage which requires a team of journalists.

Opinion is a lot easier to package for readers, listeners and viewers. If you give an opinion, you can’t be disproved.

“It’s much, much harder to establish fact.”

But there are consequences associated with the rise of opinion: “We have developed a lot more divisive political culture”.

“Hyper-negative, super critical” opinion is coming from the community, says Harris.

This negativity is not just confined to the politicians – sports people and artists etc cop it too.

“Opinion is driving us into a very negative place.

“Stories that divide community opinion don’t get churned and burned in the news cycle but slowly roasted in the opinion cycle.”

Harris outlined several tips for the audience largely made up of PR types:

• “Adjust your radar, look for ‘faultlines’” – whereas you used to assess media opportunities on the facts, you've now got to pick up on ‘faultlines’ … need to understand how your story is going to drive debate…how are people going to react to it emotionally, and how are they going to develop an argument around that?
• If you want to argue for change (not just political), you HAVE to be prepared for negative criticism.
• Stories don’t ever, ever, ever go away - "the wisdom of the crowd is driving these stories on and on and on".
• News judgment is being overwhelmed by the wisdom of the crowd - “We need to adjust our timelines”.

Harris sums up: “The media is now a rougher and tougher game” than ever before.

However, he suggests there may be a swing back to the appreciation of fact-based news. Eventually…

The PR Warrior's View?

A lot of what Harris says makes sense.

But Harris also comes from the hurly-burly of political spin doctoring. Participants in this space are often combative by nature and being reactive to circumstances is a daily occurrence. To them, negativity is very much a fact of life.

There must be something companies and individuals can do to offset the tide of negative opinion rather than merely bunker down through fear? What can be done in a 'positive sense' to (try to) redress the balance? Is everything really that bad out there?

I'm thinking being proactive is key. Always be out there telling your story (not just in times of crisis). Build your brand reputation through open engagement with the people who matter most the success of your business, cause or issue...ongoing. Connect directly with the marketplace rather than relying on the media filter.

Maybe the answer is to mix Lachlan Harris's hard-edged pragmatism and innate understanding of the media with Brian Solis, who kicked off the conference with a superb presentation about engaging with people in today's hyper-connected age.

It would make an interesting combo!

NOTE: My next post will be on Brian Solis's talk.

Welcome to Broadcast PR with Hayley Skinner: Why PR?

This week on Broadcast PR we introduce Hayley Skinner, Have you Heard Public Relations and Comunication.

Hayley tells us how she first came to work in the PR industry - and how she traded a lab coat for a laptop.

Next week we hear about some of the highlights in Hayley's career to date and what really drives her in her profession.

At the PRIA national conference, PR Directions this week, many of you would have seen Burning House filming some of the industry's most influential voices for Broadcast PR - as well as a couple of very special interviews between Trevor Young, the PR Warrior, and Brian Solis and MaryLee Sachs. We're looking forward to announcing the release date of these films over the next couple of months so make sure you keep an eye on the blog!

Nick Turner elected as PRIA President

Former Deputy-President Nicolas Turner MPRIA MAICD, a Director and the Managing Director of Corporate Communications Pty Ltd has been elected as president of the Public Relations Institute of Australia, which took place on Sunday October 23rd at the Hilton in Sydney. The position of Deputy-President will now be taken up by Adam Thomson MPRIA, President of the PRIA South Australian division and General Manager of O'Rourke PR in Adelaide.

Outgoing President, Head of the School of Advertising, Marketing and Public Relations at Queensland University of Technology, Robina Xavier presented a review of the previous year's activities:

"Membership continued to grow with individual membership up two percent to a little over 3000 and membership revenue up 11%. Our annual review notes that membership over the last six years has grown approximately 80% and the Board has discussed over the last couple of days the significant changes in the profile of our membership and what this means for the way we design and deliver our member services.

Tonight we will induct 15 Fellows to the College of Fellows, following on from the induction of 22 Fellows at this time last year.

The PRIA ran some 150 events in the period from July 2010 to June 2011. These included training programs and networking events, from short presentations on particular topics through to half day and multi day events.

Our advocacy role continued to increase with ongoing input into State and Federal levels on the review of lobbying activities. We also continued our representation of the Australian public relations industry at an international level with our CEO elected to the Board of the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management. Advocating for our members in key policy areas while also promoting the value of public relations to industry, government and the broader bureaucracy will continue to be a key priority in the coming year.

Our university accreditation program continued to expand with ten more degrees accredited during the year. This brings the total number of accredited degrees to 45 from 17 different universities around Australia. These degrees play an important role in educating the future members of our profession and PRIA is committed to ensuring graduates are undertaking courses that are relevant to our industry.

We continue to act as a key information hub for best practice in our industry. Our website was significantly upgraded last year, enabling members better access to information and tools such as job boards, events listings, monthly webinars, academic research and industry videos. The PRIA uses a range of online and social media to keep members informed and more of our members are engaging with us through these activities. Like many organisations, there is more for us to do in this space and we will continue to grow these services in the coming year."

Click here to download the 2010/11 Annual Report
Click here to download the 2010/11 Annual Financial Report
Read Ms Xavier's full AGM address

PRIA’s night of nights celebrates PR excellence

Campaigns dealing with the flood crisis, encouraging communities to help preserve their local environment and large-scale relocation projects were amongst the winners of the Public Relations Institute of Australia’s (PRIA) Golden Target Awards tonight.

The awards presentation, held at Dockside, Cockle Bay Wharf in Sydney, recognised and celebrated this year’s outstanding PR and communication campaigns.

Jon Bisset, PRIA Chief Executive said “The award recipients have demonstrated excellence and best practice – setting a new benchmark for, and demonstrating the continued growth of, the industry. The awards also provide invaluable case studies for those seeking to improve their practice or learn more about the profession.”

Finalists represented the work undertaken by consultancies, private businesses, government and community organisations and were judged on community practice, creativity and the successful adoption of emerging trends across sixteen categories.

PRIA congratulates all the award recipients on achieving one of the most prestigious public relations and communication industry accolades.

Read the full blog post to see a full list of the winners from tonight.

Win at PR Directions

Those coming to PR Directions are in with the chance to win a fantastic prize for two courtesy of Christchurch and Canterbury Tourism, taking you to the Ellerslie International Flower Show 2012 in Christchurch and valued at AUD2000.

The prize includes tickets to the VIP Premier Cocktail Party opening the show on 6 March, and two general admission tickets. You will have the opportunity to meet Mayor Bob Parker, NZ Communicator of the Year, plus enjoy other memorable experiences in the Christchurch and Canterbury region.

Included are return flights with Air New Zealand from either Sydney or Melbourne, plus two nights in Christchurch staying at The George – a five-star luxury boutique hotel on Hagley Park (where the event is being held). The prize can be used for either the period 5-7 March or 6-8 March.

The winner will be revealed during the PRIA national conference, 23-25 October so keep those fingers and toes crossed!

To find out more about PR Directions and to register, go to www.prdirections.com.au

What's on at PR Directions?

The PRIA team is looking forward to sharing a coffee and a chat with you at the PRIA exhibition stand during the conference. We’ll be there to answer your questions and to help make your conference experience what you want it to be.

Find out what's on at PR Directions.

Welcoming the PR industry to Sydney

With just two days to go until PR Directions gets underway, we’re looking forward to welcoming you all to what will be an unforgettable PRIA national conference! We’re also excited to be able to offer such a great line-up of more than 50 international and local speakers, covering the many facets of PR & Communication, including social media, public affairs, internal communication and managing your brand and reputation in a crisis. We hope you find it a valuable and enjoyable experience.

Over 300 PR and communication professionals will be gathering together to learn from industry peers, such as social media guru and co-founder of the Social Media Club Brian Solis, author and former Cannes Lions judge MaryLee Sachs and Australian icon Ita Buttrose – who probably needs no introduction!

Jon Bisset, PRIA Chief Executive, said that now is an exciting time to be part of the public relations and communication industry.

“PR Directions 2011 will be an energising and inspiring industry conference, not least because it’s about setting the course ahead as we adapt to the future trends impacting on PR and communication. It’s the perfect opportunity to catch up on the newest PR resources, ideas and technologies – as well as to share your experiences with a diverse group of people in a creative environment.”

The conference, being held at the Hilton Hotel in Sydney, begins in style with a Welcome Reception at 18.00 on Sunday 23 October. Other highlights include the Golden Target Awards presentation and dinner on Monday 24 October, to be held at Dockside, Cockle Bay Wharf. Over 270 guests are expected at the awards, as we celebrate and recognise this year’s PR and communication campaign excellence.

Tickets are still available for both the conference (one and two day passes) and the Golden Target Awards presentation and dinner.

For more information and to register, visit www.prdirections.com.au.

Today on Broadcast PR: The Future of PR in the Board Room

Today on Broadcast PR, Ros Weadman, Director of the Melbourne Public Relations Group, shares her predictions for the future of PR as a non-negotiable part of company leadership.

Make sure you tune in next week as we hear from our next industry professional, Hayley Skinner.

Escaping data nightmares

Guest blog: Article first published in Aon's Currency Magazine, Edition Two, 2011, p24.
Aon is a leading provider of insurance to public relations professionals and is PRIA’s preferred broker.

The digital age is creating major headaches for companies – not only are they struggling to make sense of an ever expanding amount of corporate information, but they are also being increasingly threatened by cyber-crime.

Well-known companies like Sony PlayStation and Dell were recently attacked by hackers who stole the personal details of millions of customers. Even national security can be threatened – the parliamentary computers of Prime Minister Julia Gillard and some senior ministers were reportedly hacked recently and thousands of emails accessed.

Breaches like these can damage a company’s brand and reputation, and may prove costly. Indeed, research by Symantec Corporation and the Ponemon Institute shows that the average cost of significant data breaches reported by Australian organisations was about $2 million in 2010.

Other research by Symantec reveals that two thirds of businesses in Australia were attacked in 2010 and that the volume and sophistication of attacks through the internet jumped by 93 per cent in that year. And, the problem is not going to go away anytime soon.

Read the full blog post

Just a little respect

Guest post by Monique Zytnik, Zytnik Consulting, first published on the Zytnik Consulting blog 11 Oct 2011.
Monique is an internal communications specialist who moved to Berlin from Melbourne just over a year ago.

What do you think of this post? Comment on the Zytnik Consulting Facebook page. You can also connect on Xing, LinkedIn or Twitter.

There is nothing more demotivating to an employee than to be ignored.

I read a recent report that spoke about the importance of the line manager in internal comms, and how as practitioners we need to refresh our communications to keep employees engaged and motivated. Perhaps I just read it all wrong or perhaps it was just ‘so yesterday’.

Quite often employees are communicating. They are identifying problems and letting their managers know about it. When nothing gets done, the noise often gets louder and more widely spread. If nothing gets done, or no one stops and acknowledges what is being said, then employees become demotivated. Worse still is when they are asked for their feedback in, say, a staff survey, and reams of gratitude are showered down upon them for ‘sharing’. And then nothing happens.

No one likes to be ignored.

If you truly want to engage your employees you need to follow the whole process and be engaged with them. It is a dynamic process and most definitely not one that is ‘two way communication’ or, heaven forbid, one way top down communication. These models are old fashioned.

If the company decides not to follow employee feedback, then at least be clear with them on why. Set realistic expectations at the start – what is likely to change due to feedback and if it won’t, then why ‘engage’? Why ask for feedback if you aren’t going to do anything with it?

No one likes to feel like they have no impact.

I have worked with organisations where even the most elementary person can make themselves look busy while actively seeking to achieve nothing. Don’t be fooled into thinking that your employees haven’t worked out how to have a sleep at work unnoticed. Finally, strategies such as calling your employee when they are away from their desk to find out where they are (the toilet actually) or banning people from work at home days, are just plain silly.

We are not children anymore. A little respect is all that anyone wants or needs.

Two-way symmetrical employee communication: tangible outcomes

Guest post by Craig Pearce, of Craig Pearce Strategic Communication. First published on Craig Pearce's blog 12 October 2011.

Craig believes public relations entails short-term pain for long-term gain. He uses academic rigour and creativity to help stimulate mutual organisation-stakeholder change, for mutual benefit. You can learn about his capabilities at his thought leadership blog, Public relations and managing reputation, and connect with him via Twitter and LinkedIn.

A mistake that public relations professionals and/or organisations (and PR researchers/academics?) make too often is ignoring employees when it comes to the application of two-way symmetrical communication. Manifestations of practical outcomes where public relations should be achieving outcomes for employees include them having more control over their work activity, varying tasks, their work being respected and work expectations being clear.

Some of the most important reasons why PR/organisations should place a premium on employee communication include:

1. Employees have the potential to be an organisation’s/product’s/service’s/brand’s greatest advocate (i.e. salesperson). (In a sense, employees are actually 3rd party advocates for the organisation, as most of them are not in management positions and not, therefore, inherently expected to ‘toe the corporate line’.) One outcome of this is increased sales
2. Interpersonal communication is the most influential of all communication modes on other individuals, underlining the importance of point one
3. Happy employees who trust their employers are more productive, thus helping an organisation achieve its business objectives.

Ideally, employees should be placed at the top of the tree in regard to organisational stakeholders, yet whilst the talk is talked often enough in this regard, I think we’d all agree it doesn’t translate into the walk as often as it should.

Happier employees work better
I was prompted down this line of thinking by a typically astute and interesting article by economics journalist Ross Gittins, who has a strong social seam running through his conscience and attitude to finance.

His article makes a number of points which I echo above, whilst he also points out research undertaken by two Canadian economists that shows, “life satisfaction – happiness – is significantly higher among workers who work where they rank management trustworthiness highly.”

This finding underlines what a serious responsibility all organisations have to the social fabric. Like it or not, organisations where people work impact on the holistic life of individuals and, by extension, those who they interact with and/or influence – i.e. society.

Organisations cannot rely on government regulation alone to guide them in the way they operate. Nor can they pretend they exist in a vacuum where their objectives and values operate in a ‘special’ sort of isolation from society.

Managers who are able to generate trust from their reports are more likely to be acting as a leader, rather than being a more process-defined ‘manager’. Perhaps a larger selling point is that improved trust in management, basically, ends up, having a greater impact on employees’ life satisfaction than an increase in income.

Public relations’ critical importance to employees and change management
Public relations has a profoundly important role to play in organisations behaving appropriately in regard to their employees.

The reason why advocating for employees is a fundamental part of public relations is that our role includes:

• making organisational decision makers aware of its stakeholders’ perspectives
• providing advice to organisations to help them evolve – both in the sense of what its objectives are and how to achieve them
• communicating strategically on behalf of an organisation so that its operations and positions are understood, empathised with and, hopefully, subscribed to by stakeholders.

Underpinning this, of course, is the reality that communication is inherently two-way. Taking the perspective that communication is all broadcast/one-way is a dinosaur attitude. In our complex, hyper-connected stakeholder world an organisation cannot take a high and mighty-disconnected position. This is pure hubris and, in western democratic civilisations at least, a certain road to ruin.

We can’t rely on the process-driven human resources departments to instigate or cultivate changes within organisations that lead to the best possible culture. It’s actually within public relations remit so we need to fulfil our potential and run with it:

1. Find where relevant research exists, like that referred to in this post, that informs, influences and shapes cultural change processes
2. Undertake internal market research; identify issues, blockers and where opportunity lies
3. Present the information in business-relevant terms and shake that tree until impact occurs – use our PR/advocacy skills!
4. Instigate change management processes, which need organisational leadership buy-in.

Don’t die wondering!

Does it take effort, time and money to bother listening (i.e. short-term pain)?

Sure.

Will it lead to a greater degree of engagement and advocacy from employees; to a better return on organisational investment; to a healthier society with happier people (i.e. long-term gain?).

You can bet on it.

Have you been involved in employee communication where you have applied two-way symmetrical communication? How have you advocated the position of employees? Can you tell us about your work in this area or where you think the approach espoused above should have taken place?

The Good, Bad and Ugly of a Winning GTA Campaign

Guest blog post: Belinda Scott, APRIA, Community Relations & Bequest Co-ordinator - MS Society of SA & NT and Chair of INTERCOMM (South Australia)

The final Intercomm event for the year on October 11 proved to be an interesting and insightful discussion as this year’s PRIA SA Golden Target Awards (GTA) winners Patrick Anderson from McClusky and Co, and Mark Osborne from StudyAdelaide, spoke about the challenges and triumphs of their winning campaigns.

Questions were directed at both panellists by Intercomm Committee Member and MC Connie Hassourous, as Patrick and Mark outlined how they created and implemented an effective campaign to communicate their client’s key messages to influence change.

Patrick spoke of how critical research was to his winning campaign ‘Dignity for Chronic Pain Sufferers’ in the Public Affairs category due to the legal, political and emotionally charged nature of the topic, and how this required him to thoroughly understand the topic and provide accurate facts to the media in a simplified format. He also outlined how he engaged with the wider community by demonstrating that chronic pain can affect anyone at any time (the issue will affect one in four Australians) by utilising traditional media (print, tv, radio). He also used patients living with chronic pain to tell their story to put some ‘real’ and identifiable faces and voices to the media. He stressed the importance of ensuring spokespeople were trained to speak and adequately deal with the media.

In his winning campaign ‘StudyAdelaide: Creating an army of brand ambassadors’ in the category Community Relations, Mark spoke of how critical to the program’s success was the ability to provide opportunities for international students to engage with other Australians and become immersed in the Australian way of life through fun extra-curricular activities such as attendance at sporting events. Mark outlined how he gained business and stakeholder support by demonstrating how international students would benefit the community, and the challenges that were presented due to the racial issues which occurred in the Eastern states.

Their final tip for anyone wishing to enter the GTA in the future was to plan and strategise well, and include clear key messages and measurable objectives.

If you haven't already registered for this year's Golden Target Awards presentation and dinner in Sydney at Dockside, make sure you don't miss out - go to the PR Directions website today!

Broadcast PR: Turning challenges into opportunities

Today on Broadcast PR, Ros Weadman, Director of the Melbourne Public Relations Group, discusses why taking a positive approach to challenges can yield great opportunities.

Next week, Ros will take a look into the future of the PR and communication profession.

As Ros says, the PRIA awards system represents an opportunity for continuous improvement as we all strive to do more and more innovative work. Help us to recognise and celebrate this year's campaign excellence at the Golden Target Awards presentation and dinner on Monday 25th October, Dockside, Cockle Bay Wharf in Sydney. Find out more and register.

Announcing winners from the Northern Territory Awards for Excellence

On Wednesday 21 September at the Northern Territory Awards for Excellence, PRIA celebrated and recognised the most outstanding PR and communication campaigns of the year – all in the elegant surrounds of Char Admiralty House. The awards were kindly presented by Susan Templeman MPRIA from NSW.

The Public Relations Institute of Australia congratulates everyone who took part in the awards and encourages you all to start thinking about your entry for next year! But for those going on to the Golden Target awards, we wish you the very best of luck and encourage everyone to register for the Awards presentation and dinner on Monday 24 October in Sydney.

The winners in this year’s Northern Territory State Awards for Excellence are as follow:

Consumer Marketing & Social Marketing
Commended, Rachel White, Kellie Harpley, Tourism NT: Make the NT your Reality

Corporate Social Responsibility
Winner, Tracy Jones, Creative Territory: EmergencyNT

Government Sponsored Campaigns
Winner, Eleanor Sheppard, NT Department of Education and Training: Remote Teaching Service

Domonique Young, Jeannette Button, Tracy Jones and Susan Templeman

Jeannette Button, Kellie Harpley, Susan Templeman, Rachel White

Jeannette Button, Zoe Malone on behalf of NT Dept of Education, Susan Templeman

Coalition to establish global standards for social media measurement

In a news release from the Institute for Public Relations yesterday, it was announced that a new coalition has been fomed of communications research and measurement consultants from the International Association for Measurement and Evaluation of Communication (AMEC), Council of PR Firms (CPRF) and Institute for Public Relations (IPR) to define, develop and promote industry-leading standards for social media measurement.

Read the full release on the IPR website.

Article on 'Establishing Global Standards for Social Media Measurement' in the Institute for Public Relations Research Letter, 4 October.

Ros Weadman on Broadcast PR - how PR can make a difference

Today on Broadcast PR, Ros Weadman, Director of the Melbourne Public Relations Group describes some of the highlights of her career to date and the satisfaction of dealing with issues that make a difference to people's lives.

Join us next week as Ros shares some of the challenges and opportunities that she sees in the public relations industry today.

Did you miss the first Broadcast PR film with Ros last week? Take a look now to discover what led her into a career in public relations.

Great Line up for PR Directions Finalised

With just over three weeks to go until the 2011 PRIA National Conference, PR Directions, we have finalised a great line-up of more than 50 international and local speakers covering the many facets of PR & Communication.

Some program highlights include:

The battle between politics and media:

Lachlan Harris, Director, LFH Media and Former Senior Press Secretary to PM Kevin Rudd will provide his insights into the new reality of the political cycle, where facts are boring and expensive, while opinion is both entertaining and cheap. In recent years the amount of news created each day has increased steadily. But the equivalent growth in opinion-based content has been much, much, more significant. So where has all this opinion come from and why is opinion growing faster than news and what are the implications for the communications industry?

Turning employee fear into excitement

Paul Scurrah, Chief Executive Officer, Queensland Rail Ltd will discuss when the Queensland Government announced the demerger of QR Limited, the potential for serious employee disengagement, industrial action and an increase in safety incidents was significant. The creation of Queensland Rail, the state’s largest Government Owned Corporation with 7,000 employees, brought the threat of low employee morale in the face of major change.

In addition, this year we have also launched a new masterclass series. These practical workshops provide you with the opportunity to spend quality time with two of our international keynote speakers, Brian Solis and MaryLee Sachs.

Author and brand specialist, MaryLee Sachs, will provide unique insights into the changing role of the Chief Marketing Officer and the implications for PR professionals. The convergence of brand and reputation is having a marked effect on senior marketers as they consider how they go to market. This session will help enable you to work more closely together with your marketing counterparts to maximise the opportunities presented by a greater contribution of PR to the marketing mix.

For more information and to register, visit www.prdirections.com.au.

Notice of 2011 PRIA Annual General Meeting

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT the Annual General Meeting of the Public Relations Institute of Australia will be held at 5.30pm on Sunday, 23 October 2011 at the Hilton Hotel, 488 George Street, Sydney.

Click here for more information on PR Directions.

Throwing caution to the wind: When eCommerce is treated as a breeze

Guest blog post: Anthony Mason (Manager – Digital Research and Analysis – SR7)
Like this article? Tweet us! @_SR7

We all understand that social media is an immediate medium where viral messages can spread like wildfire in a matter of minutes. This being noted, however, does not mean that social media strategies and campaigns should be focused on equally short timeframes.

Research conducted by Cornell University has offered ground-breaking evidence that suggests that poorly managed short term forays by companies into the ‘daily deal’ space will have dire consequences when the dust settles.

The paper ‘Daily Deals: Prediction, Social Diffusion, and Reputational Ramifications’ uses in-depth quantitative data captured over an 18 month period to mathematically analyse changes to revenue and social media reputation following businesses’ use of deal-of-the-day sites Groupon and LivingSocial. Research found that businesses’ use of discount based sites resulted in a decline of their reputation by 10% in the following six months.

SR7 notes that the underlying reason for this decline is that the social media sales channel is yet to be broached adequately by the business community.

SR7’s analysis revealed that the decline in reputation was due to a hurried involvement, lacking proper preparation in the sales channel.

Short-term sales can only be pursued in the context of appropriate systems that can effectively deal with the increased number and different nature of online customers.

Social media and online platforms are likely to shape retail in the future and the pervasiveness of ‘eCommerce’ is well on the rise so involvement should not be discouraged. What should be discouraged, however, is the lack of rigour displayed in the above case.

The challenge is that social media is a democratic space.

Unlike other communication channels, poor customer experiences are easily conveyed to many and these can become dangerous online trends. This is why customer service is of paramount importance in the context of social media, and even more critical when the marketplace is online.

Reputation takes a lifetime to build but dismantling it takes but a fraction of that. Activity in the social media space, as with all areas, should not be frivolous but should sit within the broader communications strategy that safeguards the brand. As this research indicates, failure to do so will have a negative impact on brand’s reputation and image.

So before you leap, make sure you look!

Welcome to Broadcast PR, featuring Ros Weadman

Welcome to the first of four videos with Ros Weadman, Director of the Melbourne Public Relations Group. This week Ros shares with us how she came to work in PR by starting off in local government and how she discovered a love for communicating.

Next week Ros will describe some of the highlights of her career to date and the satisfaction of dealing with issues that make a difference to people's lives.

What is it that you love about PR and communicating? Let us know on the PRIA Facebook page or on Twitter.

Introducing the newly elected members of the PRIA ACT Division Board

The PRIA ACT Division Annual General Meeting was held on Tuesday 20th September at 5.30pm.

The newly elected Division President, Appointee to the National Board and Council Members were all announced at the meeting and are as follow:

ACT Division President
Gareth Lloyd MPRIA

ACT Division Appointee to the National Board
Gareth Lloyd MPRIA

ACT Division Council Members
Neil Smail FPRIA
Marisa Gerussi FPRIA
Susan Grigson FPRIA
Jeffrey Lamb MPRIA
Chris Wagner MPRIA

The hard work, commitment and support of the ACT Division, President and Appointee to the National Board have been invaluable over the past year, so a very special thank you must go to them for the invaluable services and representation they have provided ACT members.

Meet the new ACT President and Appointee to the National Board

Gareth Lloyd MPRIA

Gareth has over 20 years experience drawn from the corporate, agency and not for profit sectors. He spent ten years as Director of Communications for a leading Anglo American energy company, National Grid which was one of the first to develop a comprehensive approach to sustainability. Before joining eWater as Director of Communications he was Head of Communications for BBC English Regions. Prior to that he spent three years in the not for profit sector where he ran one of the UK’s most successful sustainability campaigns.

The In-House Benchmarking Study

The strategic value of public relations is being recognised in corporate, government and non-profit organisations around Australia, according to a pilot study conducted by the Public Relations Institute of Australia (PRIA) in 2010.

The PRIA In-House Benchmarking Survey, supported by Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal Pty Ltd, revealed that a large part of the public relations activities within organisations is focused on strategic outcomes such as reputation management, government relations and community relations. Over three-quarters of the organisations also factored public relations and reputational considerations into their strategic decision-making and planning.

The study of 48 organisations around Australia presented a profile of an industry that largely:

• reports directly to senior management
• has overwhelming support from senior management and is involved in strategic decision-making
• has a wide diversity of strategic functions and is not limited to technical public relations tasks
• integrates its communication functions across the organisation
• uses a wide range of tools for measurement and looks for data outside public relations to measure success
• has objectives that are focused on organisational and financial success
• uses a considerable number of consultancies (two thirds of organisations) for additional ‘arms and legs’, and over half used consultancies for ‘strategic or market insights’
• has some reservations about using consultancies due to their lack of knowledge of the business and their potential to provide a return on investment
• comprises staff with at least Bachelor degree qualifications, including almost a third with post-graduate qualifications, in Arts and Communication.

The pilot study was prepared and administered on behalf of PRIA by Graham Le Roux of Constantia Management in consultation with a sub-committee of senior communication practitioners and academics.

Further research into a larger group of organisations with in-house public relations departments will be informed by this study, with an intention to hold regular benchmarking surveys to identify trends in the industry.

Building on PRIA’s benchmarking studies into public relations consultancies, the study will provide a comparison for industry practitioners and their organisations in evaluating their own public relations activities. Results will also assist PRIA in continuing to develop and deliver relevant support and activities for its membership.

Download PRIA In-House Benchmarking Survey here

South Australian State Awards for Excellence Announced

On Thursday 22 September there was a gathering of public relations professionals at the Gallery on Waymouth in Adelaide, to celebrate the achievements of the South Australian industry over the last 12 months.

McClusky & Co and Study Adelaide were the big winners in the PRIA State Awards for Excellence, with the team from McClusky & Co taking home three out of the four awards presented. PRIA member Jodie O’Dea was also recognised for winning the Schulz Prize on the completion of her studies in the Graduate Diploma of Communications (Public Relations) at the University of South Australia.

The awards presented were….

Public Affairs Category
Winner: Jeff Smith and Patrick Anderson, McClusky & Co - “Dignity for Chronic Pain Sufferers”

Community Relations Category
Winner: Mark Osborne, Study Adelaide - “Creating an Army of Ambassadors”

Consumer Marketing and Social Marketing Category
Commended: Patrick Anderson, McClusky & Co - “Harris Real Estate”

Arts Category
Commended: Leigh McClusky and Nathan Moir, McClusky & Co - “Bundaleer Festival”

PRIA congratulates all the State Awards for Excellence recipients and encourages people to start thinking about their entry for next year! For those going on to the Golden Target Awards, we wish you the very best of luck and encourage everyone to register for the Awards presentation and dinner on Monday 24 October in Sydney.

Recognising Victoria’s best PR and communications campaigns

Victoria’s finest PR and communications campaigns were recognised and celebrated last night at ACMI at Federation Square. The PRIA paparazzi snapped, there was a surprise opening number from the MC, Marney McQueen, but most importantly, a group of very talented professionals got together to celebrate excellence in our industry.

The Public Relations Institute would like to congratulate everyone who took part in the awards and encourage people to start thinking about their entry for next year! But for those going on to the Golden Target awards, we wish you the very best of luck and encourage everyone to register for the Awards presentation and dinner on Monday 24 October in Sydney.

PRIA would also like to thank our sponsors for the evening, Victoria University, Telstra, ACMI, Lion, Ed Dixon Food Design, Lee Bird Photography, Kelly Mack Photography and Harper Event Design. We’d also like to express our gratitude to the judges who invested so much time and energy into judging the submissions.

So, who were last night’s winners and grinners? See all the gongs below:

Community Relations

Highly Commended, Tara Poole, Carrie Morgan, Keep Left - The Sunraysia Natural Beverage Company - Taking Care of Hearts

Commended, Glenn Schaube, GRS Communications - Education for a Positive Future
Consumer Marketing & Social Marketing

Government Sponsored Campaigns

Winner, Lisa Wheildon, Amanda Money, Department of Primary Industries - Locust Control Starts at Your Place

Highly Commended, Andrea Davies, Andrea Teague, NEC Australia - NEC Australia's Broadband for Seniors PR campaign

Highly Commended, David Micallef, Melanie Wilkinson, Fenton Communications - Tasmania's Biggest Job Campaign

Commended, Peter Kent, Porter Novelli - Grains Research and Development Corporation - Regional Communicator

Health Organisations

Winner, Lelde McCoy, Cathy Palfreyman, Kelly Ward, Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide (The Reputation Group) - To Donate Life, Discuss It Today – OK

Internal Communications

Commended, Alice Urquhart, Stephanie Saliba, Metlink - Think Clink - A new era for Metlink's intranet

Low Cost / Pro Bono

Winner, Caroline Siler, Keep Left PR - Channel 31 digital launch: 'No more abominable snow ... man'

Public Affairs

Winner, Rose Thomas, Robyn Gray, David Hawkins, Socom - Giving the community a voice: A response to the Guide to the Murray-Darling Basin Plan

Special Event / Observance

Winner, Kelly Ward, Cathy Palfreyman, Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide - Reigniting the Brisbane Good Food & Wine Show
 

Sandra de Castro, of NAB to speak at PR Directions

With just over four weeks to go until the PRIA national conference, PR Directions in Sydney, we’re excited to announce further additions to our extensive speaker line-up.

Sandra de Castro, Chief Marketing Officer at NAB, will be joining Tourism Australia’s Nick Baker to share the inside story on two of the year’s biggest PR campaigns.

In addition, we can also announce that Michael Thorn, Chief Executive of the Alcohol Education & Rehabilitation Foundation and Kylea Tink, CEO of the McGrath Foundation will feature on a panel discussing how not-for profits balance small budgets and big messages.

PR Directions will feature no less than 50 high profile expert speakers from around the world, so it is without doubt THE industry event of the year. 

For more information about PR Directions and to register visit the PR Directions website. 

Broadcast PR - Trevor Young on the future of the PR industry

This week on Broadcast PR, Trevor Young, Director of Strategy and Innovation at Edelman Australia gives us his insights into the future of public relations.

Broadcast PR will continue over the next couple of months, so make sure you tune in each Wednesday to hear from professionals in the PR industry and how they how they first got into the public relations profession and what the motivation behind this move was.

We will find out what have been the key highlights in their careers so far – whether that be working with key, influential figures in the industry or on hugely successful campaigns. We will gain an insight into what the main challenges and opportunities are in the communication profession today, including the ever-changing nature of communication with social media a key note resonating with many. Finally, they each take a look into the future and share their vision for the development and changing face of PR.

The future of PR is of course a key theme for this year's PRIA national conference, PR Directions 2011. Brad Howarth, co-author of 'A Faster Future' will be exploring the future impact and influence of the national broadband network - delving into a discussion of the applications and services that high-speed and ubiquitous broadband access can deliver, plus the impact these will have on business, society and individuals.

Announcing the winners in the NSW State Awards for Excellence

Last night we celebrated the successes of the PR industry in the inspiring surroundings of the Art Gallery of NSW. The event brought together industry professionals from NSW, to recognise the year’s most impressive PR and communication campaigns, catch up with old friends and forge new connections.

Thanks must go to: our MC for the night, Jayne-Maree Sedgman APRIA, Media Trainer and Principal of Media Savvy; recently elected PRIA NSW State President, Ben Findlay who acknowledged the newly appointed NSW Fellows; and to our sponsors for the evening who presented the awards (APM College of Business and Communication, SOC PR People, Jason Gemenis Design, VnR Creative). Special thanks to the keynote speaker, Rob Lowe, PR Director of Eleven PR for delivering his speech whilst on tenterhooks awaiting the imminent birth of his first child!

The photos from the night are now also live on the PRIA Facebook page.

So, without further ado, PRIA would like to announce the winners. Congratulations to everyone and good luck in the Golden Target Awards on Monday 24 October in Sydney!

Business to Business Marketing

Commended, Michael Henderson, Agata Kenna, DEC Communications - Corporate Communications Campaign for the AES 2010/2011

Commended, Michelle Hutton, Edelman Public Relations Worldwide Pty Limited - PayPal eCommerce Secure Insight

Commended, Karen Wells, Simon Fitzgerald, Adrianne Kern, Text 100 - Driving a Smarter Cities and Transport Agenda for Australia

Community Relations

Winner, Cecelia Haddad, Marketing Elements - White Ribbon Day 2010

Highly Commended, Melissa Chlad, Hill & Knowlton, Hill & Knowlton - “Travelling back home campaign”- Visiting Friends and Relatives (VFR) travel health awareness campaign

Consumer Marketing & Social Marketing

Winner, Jackie Crossman, Jackie Smiles, Dean McLachlan, Crossman Communications - Biolane Green-Lipped Mussel Extract

Highly Commended, Michael Henderson, Agata Kenna, DEC Communications - PEDIGREE Adoption Drive 2010

Commended, Frances Dwyer, Allison Lee, Nicole Webb, IMPACT Communications Australia - Rediscover the Pear: Evolving Perceptions of Pear Varieties, Versatility and The 'Art of the Pear'

Environmental

Winner, Sharon Ghatora, Sharon Williams, Taurus Marketing - Clean Up Australia Day 2011

Highly Commended, Frances Dwyer, Victoria Rooney, Nicole Webb, Allison Lee, IMPACT Communications Australia - Old Phones, More Ducks: Evolving a Quirky Project into an Integrated Flagship Campaign to Drive Mobile Phone Recycling

Government Sponsored Campaigns

Winner, Susan Redden Makatoa, SenateSHJ - Evocities - live, work and invest in regional NSW

Highly Commended, Lisa Tantillo, Hayley Kerrigan, Porter Novelli Sydney - Museum of Australian Democracy - Uncensored Conversations Speaker Series

Commended, Tim Powell, Cox Inall Communications - Grains Research & Development Corporation Over The Fence Campaign

Health Organisations

Winner, Kirsten Bruce, VIVA! Communications Pty Ltd - Granting PNH community the gift of life - funding secured for life-saving treatment

Highly Commended, Susan Redden Makatoa, Nerida Thorburn, SHJ (Scaffidi Hugh-Jones) - Australia’s Cholesterol Crossroads

Commended, Fiona Tigar, Gareth Finch, Ursula Williams, Sarah Cornhill, Burson-Marsteller - Just the usual suspects?

Internal Communications

Winner, Katherine Barbler, Andres Lopez-Varela, Weber Shandwick - PawClub Internal Launch for Pfizer Animal Health

Investor Relations

Highly Commended, Erin Taylor, Brian Mahoney, Financial & Corporate Relations - Not all ETFs are equal: an education campaign by iShares Australia

Low Cost / Pro Bono

Winner, Fionnuala Maye, Porter Novelli - Good Return's 100 Women Campaign

Highly Commended, Corrie McLeod, Espresso Communications - Queensland Floods

Commended, Rochelle Burbury, Andrea Kerekes, Access Public Relations - Earth Hour

Public Affairs

Winner, Paul Ritchie, Chris Taylor, NSW Business Chamber - NSW Business Chamber's 10 Big Ideas campaign

Highly Commended, Glen Turner, Cancer Council Australia - Get Behind Bowel Screening

Commended, Stewart Prins, Essential Media Communications - Last Drinks campaign

Special Event / Observance

Winner, Matt Buchanan, Pulse Communications, an Ogilvy PR Worldwide Company - Launching Malaysian Kitchen Australia

Highly Commended, Sophie Breheny, Nicole Dickson, Beyond the Square Communication - Luna Park Sydney's 75th Anniversary

Highly Commended, Robyn Sefiani, Sarah Craig, Sefiani Communications Group - The future of retail: Luxottica’s OPSM eye hub launch

Commended, Vicki Tiegs, Graeme Gulloch, Suzana DeOrnelas, Nicole Bouverie, Waples - ahm Check It!

Congratulations to the WA State Awards for Excellence Winners

On Friday night at the Mt Lawley Golf Club, those who have created the year’s most outstanding public relations and communications campaigns were recognised and their achievements celebrated.

The Public Relations Institute of Australia congratulates everyone who took part in the West Australian State Awards for Excellence. We look forward to seeing you all again next year to celebrate more of your exciting, innovative and ground-breaking campaigns!

Find out who won what on the night…

• Arts category

Commended: Marie Mills, Nicola Rodrigues, Mills Wilson Communication Consultants, The Western Australian Museum's A Day in Pompeii

• Community Relations category

Winner: Shannan Beal, Lynda Gray, Public Transport Authority, Mirrabooka Community Relations

Commended: Jackie Oats, Leighton Contractors, WA, Improving the lifestyle of Indigenous people in Kununurra through a dedicated program.

• Corporate Social Responsibility category

Winner: Robin Antrobus, John Williams, Fiona McLeod, ConocoPhillips, Telling the LNG Story

• Health Category

Winner: Melanie Claessen, Tegan Jones, Andrew Walton, HBF, HBF Run for a Reason

• Public Affairs Category

Winner: Clint Ford, Des Riley, Riley Mathewson Public Relations, Trouble Time

Winner: Caroline Thomson, Purple Communications, Sinosteel Midwest Corporation

Highly Commended: Caroline Thomson, Purple Communications, Gold Royalties Response Group

• Special Event / Observance category

Commended: Chloe Rothery, Hawaiian, Every Body Counts

Introducing fifteen new members of the College of Fellows

PRIA is delighted to congratulate and welcome fifteen of our most distinguished members into the College of Fellows. The elevation to Fellow follows a six month process whereby nominations are reviewed by Divisions, the College and the National Board.

The College of Fellows is a senior group of practitioners that brings their collective skills, experience and knowledge together to help guide PRIA through evolving issues in the industry - particularly in the area of ethics. Established in 1987, the College of Fellows strengthens PRIA's ability to purse its key objectives.

The College advises PRIA's board of directors and the state and territory division councils in clarifying policy. They also use their wealth of knowledge to participate in the judging of the Golden Target Awards and State Awards for Excellence.

Fellows are officially inducted into the College of Fellows at the dinner of the College of Fellows held in conjunction with the national conference each year.

Congratulations to the newest PRIA Fellows :

• Vicki Bamford, Undergraduate Advisor and Lecturer at the University of Technology, Sydney
• Jody Hammond, Principal, Write Away Communication and Events
• David Rose, Senior Director, Communications, Queensland Children’s Health Services
• Anthony Tregoning, Managing Director, Financial and Corporate Relations Pty Ltd
• Sharon Williams, Founder and CEO, Taurus Marketing
• Paul Crisp, Head of the CEO Engagement Team at Telstra
• Samanatha Elam, Founder and Managing Director of Media Manoeuvres Pty Ltd
• Mac Henshall, General Manager, Stakeholders and Community Relations, VicTrack
• Rupert Hugh-Jones, Managing Partner, Australia for SenateSHJ
• Lyndon Humphrey, Senior Marketing and Public Relations Advisor, Victoria Building and Plumbing Industry Commission
• Kelly Parkinson, Managing Director, KPPR
• Barbara Pesel, Managing Director of Pesel and Carr
• Alexandra Roberts-Judd, Public and Government Affairs Manager for ExxonMobil Australia Upstream Projects
• Peter Young, General Manager Public Affairs, Cricket Australia
• Kim Pervan, General Manager, Government and Community Relations, Oakajee Port and Rail

Find out more about our fifteen new Fellows.

Vicki Bamford, Undergraduate Advisor and Lecturer at the University of Technology, Sydney

Vicki has been a member of PRIA for 25 years and is currently working in the area of Public Communication, Social Inquiry and Information Media. She has sat as a judge for the Golden Target Awards (GTAs), as well as mentoring early career practitioners as part of the PRIA Mentorship Program and instigating a partnership between the program, UTS’ community access arm, Shopfront and BA public communications Students. Vicki is highly active in her community, including as a Director of X-Ray Theatre, an environmental education theatre for schools.

Jody Hammond, Principal, Write Away Communication and Events

Between 2001-2009 Jody was a member of the Registered Consultancies Group Committee, and from 2002-2011 was a judge for the GTAs. Jody’s membership with PRIA spans a total of 14 years and has included being invited to join industry peers as a delegate to the PR Industry and Education Leaders Round Table in 2003. Jody’s professional experience over the past 25 years in public relations has also included role as journalist and sub-editor for the Central Western Daily, B&T Weekly, People Magazine and TV Guide. She also provided pro-bono or low-rate consultation to several bodies/organisations, including the RSPCA, Cancer Council Australia and Marti’s Conowindra Balloon Fiesta.

David Rose, Senior Director, Communications, Queensland Children’s Health Services

A member of PRIA for 16 years, David is also currently a Justice of the Peace and a member of the Commonwealth Government’s National Counter-Terrorism Committee’s Public Information Working Group. He also holds the distinction of being the youngest ever communications advisor to the military Commander of British Forces in the South Atlantic. After a brief stint with the BBC as a news producer, David once more stepped into the role of communications strategist, this time with the world’s fifth largest airline at the time, Northwest. David has also provided regular lectures to students at James Cook University in Cairns on effective communications with the tourism industry.

Anthony Tregoning, Managing Director, Financial and Corporate Relations Pty Ltd

Anthony founded FCR 25 years ago in conjunction with the British firm Dewe Rogerson. At the time it was one of the country’s first financial PR consultancies and was also a founding member organisation of the PRIA Registered Consultancies Group. He has been a member of PRIA for 19 years and since 2000 has received 5 Golden Target Awards, whilst playing an active role in FCR staff winning a further three GTAs.

Sharon Williams, Founder and CEO, Taurus Marketing

Sharon has been a member of PRIA for seven years and during this time has spoken at several events and seminars and been awarded two GTAs. In order to provide career path assistance to PR graduates, she established TaurusFastTrack; whilst TaurusEngage is a strategic service for organisations looking to adopt social media. Sharon became a weekly blogger for Ninemsn in 2009, writing on small business, brand and marketing issues and also regularly contributes to various industry publications. Sharon also co-founded the Artarmon/St Leonards Chamber of Commerce in December 2005.

Paul Crisp, Head of the CEO Engagement Team at Telstra

During his 14 year membership, Paul has been both a member and President of the Victoria State Council and has chaired the Victoria State Awards for Excellence Committee. He has also been the recipient of several State Awards for Excellence as well as winning a Golden Target Award in the Comprehensive Communication Program category. From 2008-2010 Paul was State Trustee for the Committee for Economic Development of Australia. Currently Head of the CEO Engagement Team at Telstra, Paul has been with the company for eight years – previously holding the position of Corporate Affairs Manager TAS & VIC in Government Relations. He is also President of the Ashburton United Football Club.

Samanatha Elam, Founder and Managing Director of Media Manoeuvres Pty Ltd

Samantha has over 20 years of experience as a public relations professional and has given several key note addresses and guest speaker presentations – including to The CEO Institute and the Australian Heads of Independent Schools. Media Manoeuvres, which Samantha founded in 1997 provides media and stakeholder communications training. She has received an award in the GTAs in the Marketing Communication Category. Samantha is also a regular committee members, corporate sponsor and participant in the Cancer Council’s Relay for Life.

Mac Henshall, General Manager, Stakeholders and Community Relations, VicTrack

An active member of the PRIA mentoring program, Mac has served as a committee member on the Victoria State Council, as well as a period as Vice-President. He has also been the recipient of an award in the GTA category for Best Integrated Communication Campaign. Mac’s previous roles have included Media Spokesperson for the Department of Infrastructure Manager of Communications for the National Road Transport Commission. In his community he is involved in a range of pastoral care activities for his church and is a committee member of his local tennis club.

Rupert Hugh-Jones, Managing Partner, Australia for SenateSHJ

Rupert has been a member of PRIA since the mid-90s. Over his career, he has garnered 20 years of consulting experience from working at SHJ, FCR, Porter Novelli and George Street Public Relations. Other memberships include: Senior Associate of the Financial Services Institute of Australia; member of Future Search Network; Former Committee Member of the Scaffidi Foundation (and head of the Foundation’s networking program). Rupert has also stood as a guest lecturer at RMIT, for postgraduate strategic communication and provided strategic communications advice on the Solar Cities Program.

Lyndon Humphrey, Senior Marketing and Public Relations Advisor, Victoria Building and Plumbing Industry Commission

Previously Principal Consultant (Media) for SOCOM, Lyndon has worked in public relations since the late 80s – starting his career prior to that as a journalist and Editor. He has received several Victoria State Awards for Excellence and Golden Target Awards, including in the category for Government Sponsored Campaigns and Community Communications categories. Lyndon is especially active with junior soccer in his local community, and participated in a police program to provide bicycles for use by disadvantaged members of the community and worked in a pro-bono capacity for West Side Circus.

Kelly Parkinson, Managing Director, KPPR

Kelly is the former CEO, Australia of Burson-Marsteller, specializes particularly in the areas of issues management, crisis management and risk communications. He also is mentor to a number of young PRIA members and has been the recipient of a Victoria State Award for Excellence in the Issues and Crisis Management category. Kelly is also actively involved with Oz Child and the RSPCA.

Barbara Pesel, Managing Director of Pesel and Carr

Barbara started her 30 year career in the communication industry by founding and managing her own company, Megamix Promotions. She has been a member of PRIA for the past 14 years, and a member of the RCG for 12 of those years. Barbara was on the organising committee for the 2006 National Conference and participated in the 2002 and 2004 PRIA Best Practice Study Tour. She also has a longstanding association with White Lion, which is committed to young people at risk in the legal system. Other memberships include the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Alexandra Roberts-Judd, Public and Government Affairs Manager for ExxonMobil Australia Upstream Projects

Alexandra’s career has taken her to the US, Japan and Malaysia over the past decade. Her areas of expertise include strategic planning, public relations, media and internal communication. Alix’s involvement with PRIA has included a position on the Victoria State Council and the judging panel for the Victoria State Awards for Excellence.

Peter Young, General Manager Public Affairs, Cricket Australia

A member since the mid-90s, Peter has appeared as a keynote speakers at several PRIA events and is a mentor to many practitioners. He has extensive experience of providing advice on strategic and integrated stakeholder management issues to Boards, CEOs and senior managers on commercial, political, regulatory, industrial and media issues. Peter was also responsible for introducing and formalizing the Corporate Social Responsibility program under the auspices of Cricket Australia and is a member of the Advisory Board for the National Sports Museum.

Kim Pervan, General Manager, Government and Community Relations, Oakajee Port and Rail

Kim has been a member of PRIA for 15 years and in that time has also served on the PRIA Western Australia Board. She was a member of the organising committee for the 1995 PRIA WA State Conference and for the 2008 National Conference in Fremantle. Kim has been actively involved with student practitioners, especially through the PRIA events that she has organised. She has been the recipient of several State Awards for Excellence, including in the Member Communication and Comprehensive Communication categories. Kim is also the founding Chair of the National Breast Cancer Foundation’s WA Global Illuminations Committee and a regular guest lecturer on some of WA’s universities’ public relations courses.
 

Congratulations to the Queensland State Awards for Excellence Winners

Last night at Mirra Private Dining and Events in Fortitude Valley, those who have created the year’s most outstanding public relations and communications campaigns were recognised and their achievements celebrated.

The Public Relations Institute of Australia congratulates everyone who took part in the Queensland State Awards for Excellence. We look forward to seeing you all again next year to celebrate more of your exciting, innovative and ground-breaking campaigns!

Find out who won what on the night…

• Community Relations category

Winner: Donna Marshall, PPR Queensland – ‘Woolloongabba Sewer Capacity Upgrade’

Commended: Jane Won of John Holland Pty Ltd, Department of Transport and Main Roads, GHD Pty Ltd. KBR Pty Ltd – ‘Darra to Springfield Transport Corridor - Stage 1’

Highly Commended: Angela Highland, Tony Murray, Allison White, Customer and Stakeholder Engagement Team of Ergon Energy – ‘Look Up and Live’

• Consumer Marketing & Social Marketing category

Winner: Lisa Nixon, Amanda Robson of BBS – ‘urbanest Australian Market Entry’

• Corporate Social Responsibility category

Winner: Keren Cooksey, Virginia Hollands, Hani Bruce of Q-COMP – ‘Q-COMP's Return to work assist’

Highly Commended: Andrew Garratt, Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal – ‘Shifting More than Coal, I Shifted Perception’

• Emergency / Crisis Communication category

Winner: Greg Swain, Brisbane City Council – ‘Brisbane City Council - January 2011 Flood Crisis Communication’

Highly Commended: Isabelle Johnson, Allison White, Tony Murray, Ergon Energy – ‘Ergon Energy's communication response to Cyclone Yasi’

Highly Commended: Michelle Palmer, Kiara Bowles, Sarah Ponthieu of Powerlink Queensland – ‘Cyclone Yasi: Testing the Transmission Network’

Commended: Kylie Casey, Gillian Burrows of John Holland Pty Ltd – ‘John Holland Flood crisis’

• Environmental category

Highly Commended: Melissa Pizzato, Rani Schwager of Shine Lawyers – ‘Shine Lawyers Erin Brockovich Australian Tour’

• Government Sponsored Campaigns category

Winner: Helen Hutchings of Phillips Group – ‘River City Blueprint Forum’

• Investor Relations category

Winner: Anthony Fensom of BWH Communication – ‘Carpentaria Exploration - Striking a Rich Vein of Support’

• Internal Communications category

Winner: Eva Ford-Murphy of Leighton Contractors Northern Region – ‘HQ Relocation Communication Plan’

Highly Commended: Keren Cooksey, Shannon Smith, Jason Standen of Q-COMP – ‘From the inside out - creating a united working culture’

Commended: Olga Kakourakis of SunWater – ‘SIMON: Influencing and engaging through innovation’

• Issues Management category

Commended: Nicola Rae, Zoe Scott, Nathan Scholz, Neva Woolmer of Queensland Rail – ‘What Would You Miss?’

• Special Event / Observance category

Winner: Susan Alvarez, Caroline Speedy, Bridie O'Connor of Queensland Motorways – ‘The Second Gateway Bridge Community Day’

Rolling out the red carpet for the NSW State Awards for Excellence

Guest blog post: Jayne-Maree Sedgman APRIA, Media Trainer and Principal of Media Savvy.

Jayne-Maree is getting warmed up for her role as MC for the NSW State Awards for Excellence on Tuesday 20 September. Testing, testing, 1,2,3...

Hollywood has the Oscars, the music industry has the Grammys and PRIA has … the State Awards for Excellence. OK so Brad Pitt and Beyonce won't be attending and there won’t be a red carpet but it’s still a damn fine event.

Now in its 11th year, the evening recognises the stellar work done by the some of the industry’s best. They’re the unsung heroes – everyone’s seen and heard the campaigns but few know who were behind them. I guess you could call it the PR industry’s equivalent of Best Producer or Best Director.

But it’s not just all about the gongs, the event is a fantastic opportunity to catch up with colleagues, meet the industry’s newest talent, get the goss and maybe even do a little business.

Who knows, you might just walk away with some inspiration for your next campaign!

It all kicks off at the Art Gallery of NSW this Tuesday night at 6.30. If you haven’t got a ticket yet, then what have you been doing?
 

Register for the NSW State Awards for Excellence here.

Broadcast PR - pushing the boundaries of what PR can achieve

What are some of the main challenges and opportunities that Trevor Young, Director, Strategy and Innovation at Edelman Australia, sees in the PR industry today? Find out in Trevor's third instalment on Broadcast PR...

Don't miss next week, with Trevor's fourth and final Broadcast PR film, where he will be taking a look into the future of the PR industry.

And as we look to the future of PR at the PRIA national conference, PR Directions, in October this year - some of the great opportunities at our fingertips will be explored at two exclusive, international masterclasses. Brian Solis, author, social media guru and Principal at Altimeter Group will be taking participants through how to navigate the digital landscape. For what it takes to win in global marketing, MaryLee Sachs, Senior Marketing Consultant, Speaker and Author will be providing an interactive workshop experience. Register here.

ACT State Awards for Excellence - the results

Congratulations to all the winners announced at the ACT State Awards for Excellence, held at Scope@Mt Stromlo on Friday 9th September.

In the State Awards for Excellence, Simon Kinsmore from the Chief Minister’s Department scored a double when he received both a Commended and Highly Commended Awards.

Simon Kinsmore, Senior Manager, Communications was recognised along with colleagues Natalie Donald and Amy Rauter for the Commended campaign ‘Medicare: Change Your Address’ and the Highly Commended ‘Time to Talk 2030’. Both were judged in the Government Sponsored Campaign category.

In addition to the State Awards for Excellence, awards were also presented in the Student Challenge – which goes to teams of UC and CIT communications students who have created a campaign for a local not-for-profit organisation. This year the winners were the Clea Rose Project/Brain Injury Foundation, a campaign put together by Jacqui Day, Erika Bacon, Renee Gallo and Louise Monge. They were mentored in this project by Jeff Lamb.

Also recognised were the following:

Highly Commended
Campaign for: Cancer Council Australia
Team Members: Rebecca Blewitt, Naomi Chen
Mentor: Justine O’Brien

Highly Commended
Campaign for: Arthritis ACT
Team members: Caleb Kim, Sharon Chan.
Mentor: Stephen Gilfedder

Commended
Campaign for: Heads Up Australia
Team members: Ellen Grady, Alecia Slocombe, Tara Stevens
Mentor: Gareth Lloyd

Finally, an award was presented in the PRIA ACT Division/Chief Minister’s Community Media Award. This went to Lyn Mills, social reporter and photographer from The Canberra Times and was presented by Chief Minister Katy Gallagher.

How wireless broadband has changed the way PR professionals work

Guest blog post: Ruben Corbo, a writer for the website Broadband Expert where you can find internet service providers in your area and compare prices on different deals for your mobile broadband needs.

Wireless broadband is changing the way public relations is launching campaigns. As broadband expands to every home, business and social gathering place, many companies are relying on social media as an instrumental component of every advertising campaign. PR professionals use social media to spark new dialogue, evaluate the competition and gather ideas about products and services.

(Courtesy of Flick User: walknboston)
 

How PR Professionals use Twitter

PR professionals may monitor Twitter feeds to determine if there is any negative or positive feedback on the Internet regarding the company or person they represent. Immediately, the PR professional will respond in a manner that will improve the brand image of the company. The feedback may resolve any issues that the customer may have. Alternatively, the company may offer an invitation to join a focus group, contest or sweepstake. Customers sometimes receive free merchandise or discounts as well.

Busy PR professionals may hire avid fans of the company that also freelance to Tweet for the company. Companies will launch a contest that awards an individual based upon how ingenious their Tweets are regarding their experience with the company. This is a new interview technique to find the best person for the job.

Many companies spend time on Twitter promoting their companies as opposed to email and by phone. The process is more affordable and effective in many instances. Since the Tweets are so brief, PR professionals can respond quickly and more often.

PR professionals can respond from their mobile phones, in the airport, at the local coffee shop or restaurant with wireless broadband. The walls of the workplace come down and productivity increases because employees can work from any location. Companies that have numerous followers on Twitter are typically successful companies.

How PR Professionals use Other Influencer Networks
 

(Courtesy of Flickr User: DoktorSpinn)

Public relations agencies often use social media to find influencers in the industry that will promote their product to clients. These agencies deliver influencers to their clients to create blogs, press releases and other print media to promote the company. Influencers are also used as a test group for new products or services. Once companies determine who influences their product, they can promote their products and services more efficiently.

Influencers may be found on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or countless other Social Media websites. Public relations relies heavily on the ability to encourage the influencers of your product or service to convince their circle of friends to buy more of a product and become loyal to your brand. Brand loyalty arises from influencers using word of mouth, providing a public relations function that significantly helps companies in promoting their products.

In What Other Ways Has Broadband Helped Public Relations?

Public relations professionals no longer have to rely on physical print magazines, newspapers and billboards alone to promote their company. They can use online media outlets to promote the company for a fraction of the cost. Blogs are instrumental in public relations. When new products or services are released, the Internet community is usually the first to know. The blog will inform the customer of the new product, as well as anticipate how the new product or service will expand the company to benefit customers and investors.

Conclusion

Public relations professionals must always seek new ways to promote the company in a positive light. Broadband has increased speeds and helped companies reach customers in real time rather than waiting to reach them by phone, email or regular mail. With increased response times, PR professionals can avert disasters that may ruin the company’s image before they start. Broadband therefore improves the productivity and efficiency of public relations.

Interested in the way that broadband has changed, and continues to change, the way we work? Brad Howarth, co-author of 'A Faster Future' will be looking at how the national broadband network will benefit the public relations and communication industry on day one of the PRIA national conference, PR Directions 2011.

Broadcast PR - Trevor's most memorable experiences in the industry

Trevor Young, Director of Strategy and Innovation at Edelman Australia shares his most memorable experiences in PR so far. Find out what in particular has revitalised him both in his career and intellectually.

Make sure you join us next week as Trevor delves into the challenges and opportunities he sees in the PR industry today.

Missed Part One with Trevor Young? Take a look now to find out how he made the move from journalism to PR.

Trevor is also known as The PR Warrior. Check out his blog with 'Comments from the Marketing Frontline: News, Views, soapbox observations, and general riffs on all things public relations, marketing and communcations, PR 2.0, social media, word-of-mouth and brand engagement.'

If you would like to share in the highlights and success of the PR industry from the past year, why not attend one of the PRIA State Awards for Excellence ceremonies near you? Visit our Events & Awards page and select your state from the left-hand menu under 'Events Schedule'.

Inside PR Directions 2011: Communication can of worms

At the PRIA national conference - PR Directions - this year, delegates will have access to the highest level of thought leadership and best practice examples in the industry. One such session, ‘Communication can of worms’ features a star panel of Michelle Hutton CEO Edelman Australia, Helen Belsy MD Rowland and Mark Paterson MD Currie Communications & President-elect of the Public Relations Global Network.

The question they will be using to open this can of worms is ‘Who owns which piece of the media and communication puzzle?’ With a market that has evolved, the industry needs to adapt to a new reality where advertising, digital and marketing agencies all play roles in communication. At present, public relations and communication professionals are fighting for a space that has traditionally been their turf.

So just what does the future look like? Let us know your thoughts over the coming weeks on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or by submitting a post to the PRIA blog.

Find out more about the panellists for this session:

Michelle Hutton FPRIA, CEO Edelman Australia

Helen Besley FPRIA, Managing Director Rowland

Mark Paterson FPRIA, Managing Director Currie Communications & President-elect of the Public Relations Global Network

View the PR Directions full program.

Preparing Your Agency For Sale

Guest blog post: Andrew Cassin. Andrew is a specialist consultant and Business Broker licensed in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. His company, Acquisiti is a premium corporate development advisory firm, providing services aimed at maximising the exit result for its clients. Andrew holds a Bachelor of Business and has pursued post-graduate studies in financial services, corporate governance, mergers & acquisitions, and change management. For more information contact Andrew via email at enquiry@acquisiti.com

The old saying goes that there are only two sure things in life: death and taxes.

If you are a business owner, you can add a third “sure thing” to the list: you will, at one time or another, exit your business. (Let us hope that it is a voluntary decision, and not forced upon you by either of the first two!)

Unfortunately, the GFC of 2008/09 took the decision-making out of the hands of many small business owners, who were forced to call in the administrators, fire sale their assets or simply shut the doors as a result of the flow-on effects to the broader business community. I can guarantee this is not the type of exit you want to end up with after years of pouring blood, sweat and tears into your enterprise.

So, whether an exit is on your horizon in the short-term or the long-term, it is advisable to start thinking about what you can do to your business now to ensure that it attracts maximum value at the time. To do this, you need to do two things: understand the drivers of value, and have a plan.

Value Drivers

To prepare your business for a buyer, you need to be able to think like a buyer. The first paradigm to consider is that whilst your business has been your heart and soul for so many years – and may even form part of your identity – to a buyer it is nothing more than an asset. There is no emotion attached to it (the polar opposite of you as the owner). In fact it is not only an asset, but only one of many investment options in a range of asset classes. The buyer’s intention through making an acquisition is to achieve a better return on their investment than if they directed that capital to another option.

The second value driver key to ensuring an effective exit is your business’ risk profile. That is, to what extent is the value in the business put at risk by the exit of its current owner?

And finally, potential buyers are looking at improving the value of this new asset. So whilst you may feel that the business has achieved all it can within its market, the buyer mindset is to ask “how can I leverage off what I have bought to expand further? What growth opportunities exist for this business? Where can I take it that my predecessor could not?”

The Exit Plan

Have you ever heard the saying if you fail to plan, you plan to fail? With the imminent en masse retirement of the Baby Boomer generation over the next 5-10 years, a significant proportion of the SME market will be up for sale. This is forecast to create a supply/demand imbalance, in which buyers will have a greater number of options from which to choose the best acquisition opportunity, leaving those ill-prepared for sale struggling to find an appropriate buyer.

To ensure your business is well-prepared to stand out from the crowd, here are my top 10 tips for preparing a PR agency for exit:

1. Sever the emotional connection. You should see your business as an asset that has commercial value, rather than a result of many years of blood, sweat and tears.
2. Clean up the balance sheet. You don’t want to have personal assets and substantial contingent liabilities (such as employee long service leave, annual leave, etc.) sitting on your balance sheet when you are exiting.
3. Focus on performance. Buyers are always more interested in a business that can demonstrate a sustainable level of earnings – wild fluctuations (or poor performance in general) make them very nervous and less likely to progress.
4. Build your team of specialist advisors. You may see spending money on accountants, lawyers, investment bankers or corporate advisors as excessive, but it is the best investment you can make to maximise your result.
5. Take your time. Allow at least 12 months for preparation before exiting.
6. Move out of the business. As the managing director of the business, start dedicating a significant proportion of your working effort to working on the strategic aspects of the business, rather than on personal revenue generation.
7. Reduce over-reliance on specific clients. If more than 15% of your revenue is sourced from one client, there is an over-reliance and inherent risk for a prospective purchaser. Clients have low barriers to exit and are more often than not happy to switch firms given the right opportunity.
8. Diversify your income streams. The inherent risk profile of a business decreases if it generates reasonable percentages of its revenue from diverse and annuity income sources.
9. Minimise reliance on business owner(s) for revenue generation. Most owners of small practices are in revenue-generating roles, with many out-performing the rest of their team. If you plan to retire from the business this situation must be reversed, otherwise there is too much risk for a prospective buyer.
10. Systematise the business. Document or automate every policy, procedure and process in the business to support the attainment of a state of self-sufficiency. This serves to minimise the reliance on the business owner, but also increases the pool of prospective buyers to include investors with no PR industry experience.

There are always more considerations – such as ensuring you have a corporate structure that is exit-friendly – but the above tips are a good starting point for most.
 

Broadcast PR - the move from journalist to PR professional

Welcome to Broadcast PR, kicking off the first of four short films with Trevor Young, Director of Strategy and Innovation, Edelman Australia. Today Trevor shares how he came to move from journalism to PR and what top tip he was given when he first started out.

Trevor is also known as The PR Warrior, so check out his blog with 'Comments from the Marketing Frontline: News, Views, soapbox observations, and general riffs on all things public relations, marketing and communcations, PR 2.0, social media, word-of-mouth and brand engagement.'

Next week on Broadcast PR: Trevor recounts some of the highlights in his career so far. We'll be back on at our usual time of Wednesday morning, so make sure you join us then!

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