Final Days

Hi Everyone,

Today was my final day at Cannings Purple, I thought that I would be excited to have finished my internship but I’m feeling sad to be leaving the welcoming and enthusiastic team that I have been lucky to be a part of for the past two months. 

I baked muffins and brought them in for morning tea but the staff had also organised a morning tea for me and Grace with cakes, slices, party pies and coffee.  We all had morning tea in the board room and the directors welcomed a new staff member Grace and said goodbye to me.  

Throughout the past two months of my internship I have been exposed to and have been a part of a number of different projects with a number of different clients.  

I have written media releases, created contact lists, written questions, conducted interviews, attended corporate meetings and been a part of a big event in Bunbury.  The public relations units that I have completed prepared me for the work that I was given and allowed me to feel like I had some background knowledge that I could apply to the tasks I was given.

I feel like I have developed my written and communication skills to a great extent while working in a friendly, team environment with a talented and committed team.  I feel like the PR393 unit has given me so much valuable experience and has made me feel confident and excited about my first job.

I’m looking forward to completing the rest of my degree and getting out into the ‘real world’!

Sophie McKay 16138667

Intensify 2014

Hi Everyone,

Today I attended a Network Ten seminar called ‘Intensify’ at their studio with the digital design team at Cannings Purple. The Melbourne Sales team had flown over to Perth with the goal of promoting and selling advertising packages to businesses in Western Australia, the special packages included coverage on channel ten over a six month period, advertisement design and a 65% discount. 

We arrived in the foyer at the studios and were greeted by a sales team representative, Brent and were offered a coffee or refreshment.  The 11am seminar had been sold out so the room was quite full.  Brent proceeded to take us to our seats and enquired about our company, clients and goals for advertising or media in the future.

http://www.intensifyrsvp.com.au/index.php

Russell Howcroft was the main speaker at the seminar, he explained his role as Executive General Manager of Network Ten (I recognised him from the Gruen Transfer) and the important role that he believes that advertising plays in the success of businesses.  A short tutorial was shown in the seminar which explained the different packages that were available, the advantages of these and the prices attached to them.

Following the speech and video we were all invited to watch as the Channel Ten News was recorded for the midday update.  I found it incredible to watch from behind the camera as Narelda Jacobs read the news out in two takes. 

Following the seminar, Jamie and Cam decided that these packages and this form of advertising were not suitable to Cannings Purple due to the nature of consultancy and the variation of clients would mean that the need for TV advertising would not be there on a consistent basis. 

I found this experience very interesting as I was able to observe business to business advertising and learn about the possibilities that are being offered in the form of TV advertising for West Australian businesses.  I was able to link this experience back to the Media Relations unit I completed last year due to the relationship between advertising and public relations that I observed at the seminar, I even got to sit behind the news desk!

Sophie McKay 16138667

Plan, Stress, Execute, Relax!

Cannings Purple has been working with the international agribusiness; Bunge who is involved in the wheat market, dedicated to grains trading and has been successful in combining with a network of key players in the domestic grain supply chain to facilitate exports to global customers.

Bunge left the important planning, deciding and executing for the official opening of its new grain export terminal in Bunbury and cocktail party in the hands of Cannings Purple.

I was asked to help source custom wine bags, blue carpet for a ‘red carpet affect’ and numerous other small tasks for both the launch and cocktail party.

The day finally arrived and all I can say was that it was a long day, I was up at 6:30, driving down to Bunbury and when arrived it was all systems go. I was given an information pack, which included:

           

-Contact details

            -Event checklist

            -Running time sheet

            -A mud map  

Threw out the day I was helping set up the launch event, shadowing the photographer and gathering names of those in each photo as well as ushering people attending the event onto the bus and providing them with valuable information.

Once the launch event was about to finish myself, Sophie and Danika raced over to the Bunbury BREC Centre where the cocktail party was to be held in 1.5 hours and started preparing the venue for the night ahead. The 1.5 hours we had felt like 10 minutes because soon enough it was 4:40pm and we were racing to our hotel to quickly get changed and we were back for 5:00pm for the cocktail party to start.

It truly was an amazing day and night and made me realize how much blood, sweat and tears go into an event like this. However you feel a sense of happiness and relief when the event all comes together and more importantly the client is extremely happy, that’s when you know you have done your job and now can relax! 

Being able to be apart of this event has allowed me to expand my experience in this work field. I was able to apply knowledge from the unit PR Techniques in relation to organising an event, event checklist and a running time sheet. 

I am excited what else the rest of my days at Cannings Purple have to offer me! 

Rebecca Uglow

16177767

Bentley Campus

Bunge Launch Event in Bunbury

Hi Everyone,

Last Friday I was lucky enough to be invited to Bunbury with the Cannings Purple team for an event they had organised for client, Bunge Australia.  The brief had consisted of a day time official opening of the new silos at Bunbury Port, and then a sundowner later in the day. 

Rebecca and I arrived in Bunbury at 11am on Friday morning, we proceeded to meet up with Danika, Renee and Ryan who were the team behind the planning of the day. We were given an information pack containing a running sheet, checklist and contacts for the event and were briefed on our duties for the day. 

I was stationed at the Bunbury BREC centre to coordinate the bus which was picking people up every ten minutes and taking them out the launch event due to the limited parking and tight security at the Port facility, I liaised with the bus driver and the invitees on their way to the launch.

At 1.30 I travelled back to the Port at just caught the end of the speeches and the unveiling of the plaque. I had been given a photo brief for the event so I introduced myself to the official photographer and he helped me with getting some good photos of the Port tour and of the general event.  It was great experience to work with a photographer while being part of a big event and seeing all of the team’s months of hard work paying off.

At 4pm Danika, Rebecca, Ryan and myself drove to the BREC Centre to finish setting up for the sundowner set to start at 5pm.  The design team at Cannings Purple designed seven huge posters that we put up around the function centre.

We raced over to the Mantra at 4.50pm and got ready for the sundowner event, we were back at 5.05pm for the start.  I worked with the photographer again and talked to a number of guests throughout the night. 

 

The client, Bunge Australia were very happy with all aspects of both the Launch at the Port and the Sundowner at the BREC Centre.  The experience of being a part of the planning and then the actual event was incredible, all of the hard work of planning and organising the event down to the last detail resulted in a smooth running, crisis free event. 

I could relate this experience to PR Techniques when I created a running sheet, checklist and contacts list for a hypothetical event with the Rotary Club.

A debrief has been planned with the staff that attended for tomorrow morning in the office. 

Sophie McKay 16138667

Bunge Australia

Hi Everyone,

During my second week at Cannings Purple I was briefed on client ‘Bunge Australia’ and the three events that Cannings Purple will be organising and managing over the next month for them:

·         Newdegate Field Day (3^rd & 4^th Sep)

·         Dowerin Field Day (27^th & 28^th Aug)

·         Bunbury Launch Event (19^th Sep)

The team at Cannings Purple were already underway with coordinating equipment hire, designing material media, and the general organisation of the two field days and the launch event.  I started my work with Bunge Australia by searching their website and gaining a broad understanding of their work.

http://www.bunge.com/About-Bunge

During the week I have been involved in the Bunge Australia project in a number of ways.  I brainstormed interactive activates that could be set up as part of the field day.  We chose to set up a ‘Guess the Grains’ competition, similar to ‘Guess the Jelly Beans’.  I was in charge of filling three jars with wheat and working out how many grains were in the competition jar (the lucky number was 54, 038). The closest guess on the day will receive a Nosh hamper.

I sorted through emails and results from Campaign Monitor and called recipients that had not yet responded to the email invitation.   I then updated the RSVP spreadsheet for the Bunbury Launch event with the updated status of the guests. 

Yesterday I was involved in a meeting for the Bunbury launch event, we ran through the running sheet, checklist and the possible issues that may arise on the day.  The documents brought back memories from PR Techniques!  

I’ve been asked to attend the event in Bunbury on Friday 19^th September to help with setting up the launch and the general running of the day.

  

My next post will be a summary of my weekend down south in Bunbury at the Port launch event, I am looking forward to participating in an event out of the office and gaining some ‘real life’ public relations experience!

Sophie McKay 16138667 

Who said Pro Bonos weren’t rewarding?

Hello!!

This week has been exciting - and extremely satisfying.

It all happened after one of the Cannings Purple directors approached the Salvation Army’s women’s refuge centre, Graceville, which has been supporting Western Australian women and children in crisis for more than 130 years.

Graceville has two refuges providing safety for women and children, most of whom are homeless because of family and domestic violence.

Cannings Purple is helping Graceville source valuable donations and supplies and myself and another Intern were asked to work on tools, which could help the shelter in the future.

I was given the task of helping construct these tools, which so far include:

v Drafting a generic thank you letter

v Drafting a generic application for [donation] letter; and

v Drafting a profile for Graceville

I was lucky enough to go along with one of the CP directors and a couple of other colleagues to visit the Graceville shelter and interview Margaret MacDonald (Major) who gave us an amazing insight into what she and her staff do for these desperate and vulnerable women.

She also gave us examples of anonymous and shocking case studies and the programs the Salvos run to help these victims become independent again.

Walking around the shelter I could hear the laughter of children and parents who were peacefully and safely playing with toys and generally enjoying their time together. It dawned on me how important shelters such as Graceville are for women and children who, unfortunately, have been victims of domestic violence.

I was happy I was able to help in anyway I could towards this amazing cause.

My visit to Graceville made me realize how rewarding and satisfying pro bono work can be - not only for the not-for-profit organisations but also for those companies taking the time and effort to really help make a difference.

If I were asked to do it again I would jump at the chance!   

Until next time,

Rebecca Uglow

16177767

Curtin Bentley

Heart of Gold

Hi Everyone,

At the beginning of August I started my internship at Cannings Purple, a strategic communication organisation in West Perth. I arrived at the fourth floor office at 8.30am and was given a media package surrounding a campaign called #Heartofgold which had been launched for a client of Cannings Purple, the Gold Resources Response Group.  The positive public awareness campaign had hit the ground running at the Diggers and Dealers conference in Kalgoorlie two days prior. 

http://www.heartofgold.net.au/

At 9am I attended the daily staff meeting in the board room, Executive Assistant Meg Popple runs the meeting which all staff are required to attend either in person or via phone contact.  The purpose of the meeting is for everyone to discuss their planned work for the day and for an issues to be discussed.

www.perthnow.com.au/the-man-who-knows-how-to-handle-a-crisis/story-fn8ou527-1226252640786

Over the next five days I drafted a number of press releases surrounding the #Heartofgoldcampaign and the positive impact of the gold mining industry on Western Australia’s regional communities.  In preparation for the press releases I worked with Danika Ferguson and Karen Brown to establish ideas for contacts and possible story angles. 

I then drafted interview questions, edited these with Danika and proceeded to record and observe as Danika carried out the phone interviews with a number of community members and mining employees. 

I have drafted two media release as a result of the interviews carried out with Danika, these are set to be released to Metropolitan and Regional media outlets in the coming weeks. 

In my few days at Cannings Purple I have been exposed to a number of different situations and have been able to apply the theory I have learnt over the past two years in Media Relations, Public Relations Techniques and Public Relations Principles.

I’m looking forward to the remainder of my internship.

Sophie McKay 16138667 

Beginnings

Hi Everyone,

My name is Sophie McKay and I’m currently in my final semester of a Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in Public Relations at Curtin University.  Upon arriving back in Perth following a semester in England I was faced with the task of finding a suitable placement for my PR393 Internship. 

I researched options in Perth, emailed my resume to a number of organisations and heard back from Cannings Purple.  I attended an interview with the Managing Director Warrick Hazeldine and National Director Karen Brown in late July and was offered a part time intern position to fulfill the requirements of my PR393 Internship.

Cannings Purple is a rapidly growing strategic communication consultancy based in Perth.  Specialising in corporate affairs and investor relations, they boast an extensive range of clients including Landcorp, Bunge Australia and The Gold Resources Response Group and operate successfully across a number of sectors.

www.canningspurple.com.au

I’m looking forward to starting my internship at Cannings Purple and operating out of their West Perth office for the next two months.  This will be my first opportunity since commencing my degree that I will be able to apply the theory learnt over the past two years and be involved in a ‘real life’ public relations organisation!

Sophie McKay 16138667 

Tutors didn’t lie about EDITING

 Hello fellow Interns!

One of the services Cannings Purple offers is investor relations, which is handled by a team that together has more than 100 years of combined experience across a wide range of industry sectors.  As part of my Internship duties I was asked to help the team with the ASX corporate summaries that are provided in CP’s  weekly newsletter, Purple Patch. 

Despite each brief summary only requiring 2-3 sentences, the level of detail, information and research contained in each article posed a degree of difficulty for me, as this was something I had no prior experience or exposure to. Thankfully, the team at Cannings Purple is very supportive and always provides me with feedback on the work I do, allowing me to better understand and grow in this field.

But wait – there’s more!

Around lunchtime I was given a deadline of around 1-2 hours to write a media release, which was going to be sent out that day. It was about the Kalgoorlie Member of Parliament, Wendy Duncan, who came on board with the Gold Royalties Response Group (GRRG) to help the gold sector oppose any increase in gold royalty rate.

To help me, I was given previous media releases that were sent out for GRRG to demonstrate structure, language, information and the way quotes were used.

However, it came as a bit of a shock to learn that not only did Cannings Purple actually write the release, they also made up the quotes on behalf of the client  - rather than vice versa. I always had the idea that clients would provide the quotes and the PR organisation would compose the media release around them.Once I had written a draft of the media release I sat in front of my computer and, remembering the wise words of our tutors, edited, edited and edited.

Once I was happy with the release I sent it to one of CP’s staffers, who edited the release and then passed it on to one of the Directors for further editing. Once she was satisfied with the release the Director gave it to a fresh set of eyes to triple check  - and then it was ready to be sent off to the targeted media. I knew editing was important, however this process made me realize you can never edit too much!    

So always remember - edit, edit and edit again!!

Until next time,

Rebecca Uglow

16177767

Curtin Bentley

Hit the Ground Running

Hi everyone!

My name is Rebecca Uglow and I’m currently in my last semester of a double major in Marketing and Public Relations - and like you I’m doing the unit PR internship. `I was lucky enough to score an internship at Cannings Purple in West Perth.

Cannings Purple is a well-recognised, strategic communications consultancy, providing high quality and personalized communication advice. 

Cannings Purples drive, work ethic, preparation and more importantly the success of landing a new client has taught me a lot in the five days I have been here, especially the fundamental importance of being prepared in order to succeed.

Some can describe a mailing list as ‘difficult to manage’ and is thrown into the ‘too hard basket.’ However the mailing list holds key stake and shareholders who are fundamental for the organisation.

On my first day I was asked to condense the agency’s four mailing lists into one master list. This wasn’t as easy as it may sound! I discovered there were more than 4500 contacts with some being repeated up to five times and some contacts missing either names or the business they were associated with. Over the period of two days - between other work I was given – I managed to cull the contact list down to 1532 and filled in as many names and businesses as possible. This mailing list is used for a number of purposes including Cannings Purple’s newsletter, so it was fundamental to their communication network to have one master list in order to contact all stakeholders and shareholders.

Another fundamental public relations task I performed was media monitoring. One of Cannings Purple’s current campaigns is for the Gold Royalties Response Group (GRRG). There has been numerous articles published online, print and on radio and it was my task to distinguish the various key themes from each media platform. Cannings was then able to provide this information to the client, along with other information relating to the success of the campaign.

Sadly, I didn’t earn a gold nugget for my work, but I’m really excited to see what the rest of my time at Cannings Purple has to offer!

Rebecca Uglow

16177767