Time flies when you’re having fun!

Today has come around so fast. It marks the last day of my internship with the City of Perth. I have but one question, where has the past four weeks gone?

The past four weeks has been a whirlwind of authentic work, great conversation, lots of relationship building and many, many fantastic learning experiences. I will cherish these moments as I venture out into the Public Relations industry at the end of this year. This has been an awesome journey where the theoretical principles I have acquired in my degree have been applied in a practical (and fun!) environment.

My last week has been spent finishing up on various jobs, namely speech writing and production of articles for internal and external newsletters. I have also spent time with the team, asking them questions about their specific role/procedures for inclusion in my placement report.

I have been profoundly moved by the kindness that people have shown me in my last week. A colleague asked me to “connect” with her on LinkedIn, offered to be a referee as well as offering to look over my CV when I start applying for jobs upon graduation. Additionally, we have made plans to catch up for coffee in the coming weeks, which I am looking forward to. Other colleagues have also offered to write references for me which I am eternally grateful for. While being here, I was never made to feel like I was “just an intern” but instead a legitimate member of the team.

Update: On my last day, the team surprised me with a beautiful vase of flowers and a Myer voucher to say thanks. I was so surprised and humbled. The most lovely part was reading through the kind comments in my card. I felt like I was leaving a real job, not an internship!

The friendships I have made, I know will hold me in good stead in the future. 

So now, as I reflect on my internship, one thing has become abundantly clear; I have chosen the right profession. The life of a Public Relations professional is the life for me and I cannot wait to embark on my career. 

I wish everyone all the best on their placements, and their careers going forward.

Claire

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The power of a conversation...

Hello again.

It is now week 3 of my internship and things are ticking along quite nicely. I am beginning to remember (most) names and am getting a better understanding of relevant procedures across the organisation.

During my time here, I have had many interesting conversations with staff members in the office. As an aspiring PR professional, I like to converse and I highly value listening to the opinions of others. You can learn a lot from a conversation.  

A talk I had last week with a colleague forms the basis of this blog post. As we were walking to the Perth City Library for a meeting, we got to chatting about the role of Public Relations within an organisation, and how sometimes, it’s not a widely acknowledged (or known) profession and its identity can get lost under the umbrella of Marketing. Public Relations is VERY different to Marketing - we know this. Yet, how often are the two lumped together with the same definition? I am sure that almost every Public Relations and/or Marketing student can attest to this. 

Further into our conversation, we also discussed the challenges that Public Relations professionals can have trying to prove its worth to an organisation. The effectiveness of Public Relations can be difficult to measure, particularly brand image and reputation. A return on our investment is not always easy to gauge. Thus, we can be presented with a myriad of challenges when trying to convince a CEO to invest more resources into Public Relations based activities.

So, inspired by this conversation, I did what any good university student would do and commenced some further research. I went onto “Google Scholar” and searched “Measuring Public Relations”. My search returned a multitude of articles and one caught my eye. It was an article called “The evolution of public relations measurement and evaluation” from the journal: Public Relations Review. The title of the article is fairly self-explanatory; the author provides an overview of how the measurement of Public Relations has changed significantly over the years. It was an interesting read. 

What really stood out for me was the adoption of seven principles to measure Public Relations at the European Measurement Summit 2010 in Barcelona. Call me silly, but I had never come across these principles in, nor heard of the European Measurement Summit. Has anyone else?

The seven principles are as follows:

1.   Importance of Goal Setting and Measurement

2.   Measuring the Effect on Outcomes is Preferred to Measuring Outputs

3.   The Effect on Business Results Can and Should Be Measured Where Possible

4.   Media Measurement Requires Quantity and Quality

5.   AVEs are not the Value of Public Relations

6.   Social Media Can and Should be Measured

7.   Transparency and Replicability are Paramount to Sound Measurement

Here is the link to the webpage which provides more detail on each principle: http://amecorg.com/2012/06/barcelona-declaration-of-measurement-principles/

The inclusion of social media is an obvious one, as PR professionals, we simply can’t ignore the power it can yield. But, I would be interested to hear your thoughts; do you agree with these seven principles? If not, why?

Well that is all for me today, until next time.

Claire

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Link to article “The evolution of public relations measurement and evaluation”: http://ac.els-cdn.com.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au/S036381111100213X/1-s2.0-S036381111100213X-main.pdf?_tid=8cb4ac7e-13bd-11e4-b5e2-00000aab0f26&acdnat=1406266735_46d6b0427d8bf2aff7e26101bd4956e2

A lesson in crisis communications – sometimes, you can’t please everyone!

I am now in my second week of my internship and my, it’s been a full on week! My first blog post mentioned “Perth City Snowland” which was a free event held by the City of Perth (at Forrest Place) for children to attend during their school holidays.  Attendees had to come into Forrest Place to collect tickets from 9 am. The intention behind this decision was to encourage families to spend time within the city taking advantage of special offers and discounts for retailers via a “Perth City Playground Pass”.  Additionally, because the event was free, there was no obligation for people to attend should they book online, meaning a higher risk of no shows. Therefore, this seemed like the fairest option.  

Within the first couple of days, Snowland, tickets were running out fast leaving many parents (and children) disappointed. Some had travelled from as far as Bunbury to secure tickets, only to be turned away upon arrival. Queues were starting at 7.30am with tickets selling out by 10am each day. Members of the public were angry, and were voicing their concerns via the City of Perth Facebook page. One post in particular received over 1000 likes and comments in a 24hr period. The criticism was snowballing into an avalanche (pun intended, sorry!) of negative comments and angry phone calls. This created an enormous amount of work for the PR/Communications team who were charged with responding to the comments in a timely and effective manner. Additionally, there was a lot of criticism around the poster of the event (shown below) which was deemed misleading by many members of the public.

The original promotional image. Courtesy of the City of Perth

Upon consultation between the events, marketing and communications team, a decision was made to change the ticketing allocations for the 2nd week of the school holidays (beginning Monday 14th July). An online system was implemented to allow people to book a maximum of 4 tickets. Tickets would be released at 3pm each day for all of the following day’s sessions. Additionally the ticketing of 90 people for each session would be for children only (as participants) meaning adults wouldn't need a ticket. This change was heavily promoted on social media and the Visit Perth City website and it was met with tremendous support from the public. Upon consultation between the events, marketing and communications team, a decision was made to change the ticketing allocations for the 2nd week of the school holidays public. Additionally, an allocation of 20 tickets per session would be held at the event for those people who may not have heard about the ticketing change, to ensure they were not left disappointed.

While this change was mostly met with support and praise, there were still some people who were not happy. This was due to an extremely high demand for tickets, and when they were released at 3 pm, they were being snapped up within a matter of minutes. Statistics from the ticketing company showed that approximately 1200 people were online at 3 pm attempting to secure tickets, therefore demand was substantially higher than supply. To be expected for a free event!

While I was not directly involved in the handling of this situation, I was able to watch as it unfolded, then how it was dealt with by the City of Perth. In my opinion, I believe the Communications and PR team handled the situation effectively. The team was quick to address the problems on social media, taking ownership of the issue and apologising to members of the public. Team members even responded to individual comments on social media after business hours, showing tremendous dedication to ensuring that the public were kept informed of the event changes. It is unfortunate that some people were still not happy after the City of Perth were proactive in making changes to the event in response to public feedback, but I guess that is just the way it is. 

A momentous lesson learnt – sometimes you CAN’T please everyone, despite your best intentions and efforts.

Until next time,

Claire

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Hitting the ground running!

Monday the 7^th of July marked the first day of my internship with the PR Communications Team at the City of Perth and it was met with absolutely woeful weather! After successfully navigating public transport and managing to stay relatively dry, I ventured up to level 6 of Council House, where I met my supervisor. She showed me to my work station and introduced me to the members of her team who were all so welcoming and friendly. We then took a trip to the properties division where I was issued with a Visitors swipe card which gives me access to the building and printing facilities.

Once everything was settled, Natasha talked me through what I would be doing that day. Today was the first day of the school holidays and the City of Perth had organised “Perth City Snowland” with the first session starting at 10.30am. My supervisor was meeting a journalist from Perthnow at 10.15am and invited me to come along, which was a great experience. The kids seemed to be really enjoying themselves in spite of the weather, which was nice to see. Additionally, Natasha sent me some information regarding the YMCA Youth Parliament Reception and asked me to help write a speech on behalf of the Deputy Lord Major to present at the event. Wow, not bad for my first day!

After lunch I returned to “Snowland” with my supervisor where we met with a photographer who took some fantastic shots of the kids in action. I assisted my supervisor to gain consent forms from parents to use the shots for promotional materials for the City of Perth. The remainder of the afternoon was spent working on the Deputy Lord Mayors speech. All in all, it was a busy day but I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. It was great to be able to apply some of my skills on the first day and there is a nice sense of camaraderie in the office.

I am looking forward to seeing what the next 19 days will bring!

A child enjoying himself at Perth City Snowland. Picture courtesy of City of Perth

Claire Otway

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Perth City Snowland Link: http://perthwinterarts.com.au/event/perth-city-snowland

Link to Perthnow article about Perth City Snowland: http://www.perthnow.com.au/entertainment/school-holiday-guide-10-fun-things-to-do-in-all-corners-of-perth/story-fnhocr83-1226965493735

Saying Thank You Doesn’t Begin to Cover It!

Before I began my placement at the City of Perth I was unsure about whether I wanted a career in public relations or whether I would use my degree to work within a different field. Sometimes University work can become monotonous and the idea of a career in that certain area can become increasingly less desirable. Being able to undertake a public relations placement unit demonstrated to me the difference between a University environment and a practical working environment within an organisation. I am sure I’m not alone in saying that this placement unit has been an eye opener and provided invaluable experience.

The best thing about working for a local government organisation like the City of Perth is the diversity of work that comes across your desk. One day you can be writing a speech for the Deputy Lord Major and the next organising stilt walkers as an advertising tool for Carnival Macabre. By the way, if you have some spare time (what spare time!) then head down to Northbridge Piazza to enjoy Carnival Macabre 25 October – 3 November. Carnival Macabre is a week-long festival to celebrate Halloween and Mexican Day of the Dead. There are a variety of ghoulish, spooky and interesting events and activities planned.

Leaving the City of Perth is one of the hardest things I have had to do, cue the tears. Everyone I have had the pleasure of working with in my role as a Communications & PR Intern have been welcoming, supportive and above all, friendly. I constantly looked forward to my Thursdays and Fridays at the City of Perth and its true what they say, if you love what you do then you will never work a day in your life.

On my last day the Marketing, Communication and Events Unit put on a morning tea to say goodbye and thank you. I managed to say a few words without crying, which is a big thing for me. I hope the entire unit and especially Natasha, Sonya, Adam, Di and Kate understand how grateful I am for the opportunity and how much they have helped me develop into a capable and confident public relations practitioner. Oh and the chocolate cupcakes I brought in for the morning tea were a great success!

Below is a picture of the beautiful flowers I was given by the Marketing, Communication and Events Unit.

 

 

On my first day at the City of Perth I was given an access keycard (picture below) which is required to be used in the lift, to get into the office areas of each level and also to get into the levels if you use the stairs. I cannot tell you how many times I forgot my keycard and just as I was getting the hang of taking it with me everywhere I had to go, I had to hand it back!

 

 

By now I am sure most of you will have finished your placements. I hope they have been enjoyable and provided you with excellent experience.

This is my final blog and I would like to wish you all the best for your future career, whether in the field of public relations or wherever your degree takes you.

Good luck, I am sure I will cross paths again with some of you in the future!

Rachel.

Liaising with the City of Perth’s Cycling Stakeholders

First of all I would like to acknowledge that there is no better feeling than seeing something you have been working on come together and ultimately be a success. The City of Perth sponsors the Ride 2 Work Day Breakfast and therefore is privileged to have a stall at the event. For the past few weeks on and off I have been organising the City of Perth’s stall at the Woodside Ride 2 Work Day Breakfast in conjunction with the City of Perth’s Sustainable City Development and Active Transport departments.

At the City of Perth stall we had brochures of the city’s cycle, jogging and walking routes, thank you tags for the cyclists, sustainable bamboo USBs with the City Cycle Plan 2029 and a display of the winning bicycle saddle (a competition we conducted the week before). We gave away that many collateral materials that we actually ran out of some of them, which proved to us that utilising the stall was effective. During the event I acted in a communications role at the stall by liaising with cyclists and also fielding questions from other sponsors about the City of Perth. All of the cyclists who came past the stall were enthusiastic about the City’s dedication to providing a modern bicycle network as outlined in the City’s Cycle Plan 2029.

 

City of Peth Stall

 

City of Peth Stall

Unfortunately on the day of the Woodside Ride 2 Work Day Breakfast (16 October 2013), the weather was gloomy and threatening rain. It didn’t appear that the possibility of bad weather had been factored into the event as there was no rain cover, a prime example of the importance of a risk management plan. Getz (2012, 302) defines risk management as “the process of anticipating, preventing or minimalising potential costs, losses or problems for the event, organisation, partners and guests”.

My biggest tip is that something unexpected is always bound to happen, therefore there should always be a contingency plan in place otherwise the organiser will need to draw on their problem solving skills on the spot.

Until next time, keep enjoying your placements!

Rachel.


Reference:

Getz, Donald. 2012. Event Studies: Theory, Research and Policy for Planned Events. 2^nd ed. Oxon: Routledge.

Communication … It’s all in the Planning

I have now completed 16 days of my placement at the City of Perth and even though it seems like an insignificant amount of days, I feel like I have gained an invaluable amount of experience up to this point.

I was planning on writing this blog after the first few days of my placement to discuss communication plans, however I thought it would be a better decision to wait and see what came out of the communication plans that I had developed.

A communication plan is an extremely useful document as you know what you have to do, when you have to do it and why you are doing it.

After years of University education in the field of Public Relations, I have had many chances to develop mainly hypothetical communication plans which are centred on creative and imaginative ideas. Developing communication plans at University is extremely beneficial; however it is important to remember that in the ‘real world’, organisations have different structures and requirements for communication plans. Transitioning from one method of structuring communication plans to another can take some getting used to as you have the original method committed to memory.

Public Relations campaigns require/should have a communication plan in order to maximise efficiency and effectiveness. Meyer (1982, 37) concurs that “plans are obviously a central component of the processes of communicating and understanding”. Ultimately the detail and ideas created in the communication plan can determine the success of the campaign.

Creating communication plans for the City of Perth has been an invaluable experience; it has enabled me to learn how to tailor my sometimes overly creative ideas into ideas that are feasible. I have been entrusted with developing around five communication plans for both internal and external purposes. I am now confident in producing well-structured and feasible communication plans.

In the past couple of days I have been actioning components of the communication plans I have developed. It is really rewarding and exciting to see your ideas coming to life. In my opinion the best aspect of a communication plan is when the plan is actioned and you can see your ideas being utilised and created.

My biggest tip when creating communication plans is to keep in mind that due dates will change and projects will sometimes be put on hold. Therefore, you may be required to alter the communication plan you had developed. Don’t let this be disheartening as it will happen quite often.

I would love to hear if anyone else has had the opportunity to devise communication plans at their placement and what they learnt from their experience of developing communication plans.

Keep an eye out for my next blog which will entail a debrief of the Woodside Ride 2 Work Breakfast. The City of Perth has sponsored the event and subsequently the City has been allocated a marquee at the event, which I have been responsible for organising. Fingers crossed all goes well.

Until next time, keep enjoying your placements!

Rachel.

 

Reference:

Meyer, Bonnie. 1982. “Reading Research and the Composition Teacher: The Importance of Plans.” College Composition and Communication 33 (1): 37 – 49. http://www.jstor.org.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au/stable/pdfplus/357843.pdf?acceptTC=true&acceptTC=true&jpdConfirm=true.

Social Media – Not a Means to an End

Well it is full steam ahead, where has all of the time gone!

I am thoroughly enjoying my placement at the City of Perth and quite honestly never want to leave.

From the PR placement blogs that I have seen so far, social media is a popular topic. Rather than writing a blog highlighting the importance of social media (which I am sure is a general consensus), I thought I would discuss the importance of viewing social media as just one of many communication tools.

Increasingly social media is utilised as the ‘go to’ tool for communicating with stakeholders, sometimes at the expense of utilising other effective communication tools.

The PR units at Curtin are structured appropriately in the way that social media is only one component of the units which is beneficial as it is important to educate students that there are a variety of useful communication methods.

In my opinion the City of Perth utilise social media in an effective and efficient manner in order to communicate with stakeholders and realise that social media is just one communication tool.

On Friday 30^th August the City of Perth Communication Team organised for The Project to do a live cross for their Metro Whip Around section. The theme for the cross was Fathers’ Day and therefore the cross promotion was a Fathers’ Day special and involved a promotion of Sunday’s Piazzarama Northbridge.

For the live cross we needed fathers and children in the background to illustrate the Fathers’ Day theme. As there were no City of Perth events scheduled at the right time (making it easy to gain a crowd) we put the following call out on social media;  

 

As popular as the Facebook post was with 50 likes, 5 comments and 12 shares, the main reason for the crowd turnout was through utilising other communication methods including face to face communication. If the City of Perth relied solely on social media then the live cross would not have been as successful as it was.

If you would like to see the Perth Metro Whip Around click here and skip forward to 41:35.

I would love to hear your feedback on this blog, despite whether you agree or disagree.

Until next time, keep enjoying your placements!

Rachel.

(Written: 8^th September 2013)

Reference:

The Project, Friday 30 August. 2013. The Project. http://tenplay.com.au/channel-ten/the-project/2013/8/30.

Beginning a PR Internship: Nerves & Excitement

Well, where do I start …

My name is Rachel Shortte and my internship placement is at the City of Perth.

Before I commenced my internship, I was filled with all sorts of emotions; excitement, nerves and I was unsure what to expect, which I am sure almost everyone else experienced as well. I conducted some research into Public Relations internships by looking over past blog entries and academic journals. The research reassured me that undertaking an internship would assist to build confidence and gain practical experience, “through internship experiences, students become more independent, ambitious, and focused” (Daugherty 2011, 470).

Daugherty (2011) mentions that some of the main aims for Public Relations interns, which I concur with, are to; acquire skills, develop a richer understanding for the specialisation area, gain real life experience and proactively seek future benefits; including job opportunities and the establishment of a portfolio. I thoroughly recommend that other students take the time to read the article – ‘The Public Relations Internship Experience: A Comparison of Student and Site Supervisor Perspectives’. The article gives an insightful overview of the Public Relations internship experience from the perspectives of students and supervisors.

I began my internship in mid-August, and so far it has been an incredible experience (on my first day I even got to meet Lisa Scaffidi!). Each day of my internship there has been an abundance of opportunities for me to learn and develop my Public Relations skills. Everyone within the City of Perth that I have come into contact with is welcoming, supportive and genuinely lovely people, especially the Public Relations & Communication Team.

Although only having been in my internship for a few days, I can most certainly understand the importance of undertaking both theoretical study at university and applying the theory learnt in an internship placement. Internships enable students to put what they have learnt into practice and to shape their knowledge into a practical sense.

Until next time, keep enjoying your placements!

Rachel

(Written: 31^st August 2013)

 

Reference:

Daugherty, Emma L. 2011. “The Public Relations Internship Experience: A Comparison of Student and Site Supervisor Perspectives.” Public Relations Review 37 (5): 470 – 477. doi:10.1016/j.pubrev.2011.09.010.