GO, GOING, GONE

In my final weeks at Go Communications I have been lucky enough to attend client meetings with my team. The client, Zurich Brand, was acquired due to another teams work with Zurich Corporate. Zurich’s core business is offering the Malaysian public general and life insurance products and services. Our team was to pitch PR collateral throughout the launch of Zurich’s new brand campaign “For Those Who Truly Love”.

OBJECTIVES:

Through a targeted PR campaign the strategy is to:

-Build awareness and positive opinions

-Increase market share and share of voice

-Attract new customers and agents

-Become a leading insurer in Malaysia

It would be the task of Go Communications to assit with media liasing, cover-story concepts and drafting of print material. It was inspiring to attend the two pitches and geting to see Peter DeKretser work with Karen (my team leader) to deliver the material. Peter, really does have a way with his words and making other people see his vision, he also has a brutally honest and cut to the chase kind of attitude. This I believe has been keen to the success of the consultancy, as both Michael and Peter don’t mess about and seek for straight to the point answers.

Having to see the types of stories that were pitched was also really intriguing, and really shows just how creative you have to be to get the media’s attention. I also found it relevant it to understand and know your cultural context, as this has a major influence on how media operate and what the public is interested in reading or viewing. Especially, in such a diverse country as Malaysia which has a very fragmented culture.

During this time I also got to attend “Zurich Love for Football” launch. “Zurich Love for Football” is a CSR initiative aim to promote health and wellness among youths. In collaboration with Little League Soccer Sdn. Bhd., Zurich Insurance Malaysia will run a series of football clinics across ten secondary schools with existing football clubs in various states.  For more information about the day, VIP’s and Zurich CSR campaign, click here.

It became apparent that Team Vertical was brought on board perhaps due to relaxed attitude of the other team. When I arrived the morning of the event, I definitely felt the stress in the air due to last minute preparations. Although I can’t really further comment due to the little involvement I had in the lead up to the event.

Excitingly, I got to play the role of the usher, who got to bring VIP guests to the stage along with being the bearer of the golden whistle. The sound of the golden whistle blown by Y.A.M. Tunku Tan Sri Imran ibni Almarhum Tuanku Ja’afar, President of the Olympic Council of Malaysia initiated the friendly match between coaches and students. View the video below to gain further insight on the event:

Embarrassingly, I managed to have a few flaws in my performance as cushion bearer for the golden whistle, this can be viewed at around 0.20 minutes.

My Time at Go:

I have had the opportunity to make life long friends, and established networks in Malaysia. Luckily, I had an extremely friendly team to work under, which definitely made the experience more enjoyable and rewarding.

Above: Whitney (another Curtin intern), me, Kuan Ting (Team Vertical Supervisor) and Karen (Team Vertical leader). 

Highlights:

• Sharing team lunches and even dinners with Karen and Kuan Ting. Kuan Ting ad I definitely shared a love for food, and I believe I dumbfounded everyone, as I loved spicy food and was willing to try anything. Luckily for my Iron stomach.
• On our last night my team shared a Ramadan dinner together, this definitely showed just how welcoming Team Vertical were and how much I would miss them.
• Attending events, the preparation, planning and detail that goes into a one to three hour launch amazes me. As a PR consultant it can be very demanding what kind of work and preparation is expected form the client. Also, you always are expected to perform miracles on very tight budgets.

Above: Last night in KL enjoying Ramadan dinner at the office.

Lowlights:

• As my team had only been established around a month, it was very slow in terms of work and clients. This meant I was left to do a lot of tedious mind numbing tasks, but at the end of the day they were things that needed to get done.

Lessons Learned

• Always bring the right attitude – attitude is everything in a working environment especially in terms of working in a consultancy team.
• Be willing to do any task, it’s not always a glamorous job.
• Use your initiative and when work is slow find tasks that need doing, I found this helped my team trust me more as they began to saw what I was capable of.
• Always be well groomed, you never know what situation you may be put in and could jeopardise your chance of attending client meetings.
• Be confident in your own abilities and work.
• Always SPELL CHECK and read over your work and make appropriate edits.
• Don't be afraid to ask questions.

I would just like to take this opportunity to thank Go Communications and my team, Vertical for being inspiring leaders and enabling my experience to learn from some real life PR experts.

I wish all of you the best of luck in your own internship and thank you for reading.

Felicity

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IT’S ALL GO GO GO!

Let the day begin!! My entire time at Go Communications all that everyone seems to say is how notorious the traffic is Kuala Lumpur and prepare for that ‘JAM’, referring it to as that ‘Damn Jam’. So the morning of our event Wednesday the 18^th of June I left the apartment in Petaling Jaya at 7am. Really, all I’m ever really confronted with is how ridiculously hard it seems to be able to get a teski (taxi). Whitney (my housemate) and I have now realized that there is no point ordering a taxi as they jus call us back saying “Sorry miss no teski available”. Not to mention the fact that they can never understand my name I have resorted to alias names, sara, nikki or kate. Missing that “Damn Jam’ I arrive before 7.30am in the hustle and bustle of Kuala Lumpur.

Like I’ve mentioned before preparation is key and working with an experienced events team really can pay off. Arriving early to do a once over of the venue and checking all electronic equipment. Luckily as well the joint venture team (Fircroft and Tanjung) were able to organise a media backdrop in time, it really did make a focal point for the room and conveyed what was taking place. This was key in conveying key message that would perhaps be printed in media.

Left to Right: Tanjung Offshore executive director Muhammad Sabri Ab Ghani, Tanjung Offshore Managing Director Datuk Harzani Azmi, Acting High Commissioner Ray Kyles, Fircroft CEO Jonathon Johnson and Fircroft Dhirendra Shantilal.

My key role for the morning was to unpack and organise media kits into goodie bags with the inclusion of media gifts. It was amazing to see how grand this event was, with copious amounts of food and held in a Grand Hyatt Ballroom, it seemed like the two companies were going all out. The purpose of the event enabled the two companies to bond together for the first time in a formal setting allowing them to reiterate their commitment to the partnership to key stakeholder groups.  

Key PR Messages:

•           To facilitate the growth of the oil and gas and related industries in Malaysia and the region that will ultimately propagate the various downstream industries.
•            To refine and grow the businesses in Malaysia as well as continuing to develop relationships with key global clients.
•           To engage in a long-term partnership for the growth and development in Malaysia.
•           To provide technical recruitment services of the highest quality and standard.
•           To make Fircroft Tanjung ‘top of mind’ to potential business investors and partners to choose and co-locate in this nation, empowering the economic growth and prosperity of Malaysia as a whole.
•           To further enlarge our footprint within the oil and gas and related industries in the region.
•            To improve the regional presence and the continuous growth of Tanjung’s base in other strategic locations allows an ability to offer global solutions delivered locally.

Having been assigned to check in media, these formalities are key in keeping an up to date media list. It had never really crossed my mind that this is how PR Consultancy’s came across their information, and that this is the easiest way of establishing contacts. I guess though in KL due to the large scope of media there is quite a bit of shifting and people don’t stay in those singular jobs too long. From experience with other clients formulating a media list is the most time consuming and vital task. It is often hard to get your media invites or press releases too the right people, without a well-formulated media list.

After the formalities of the signing ceremony, VIP speakers hosted a press conference. Having never witnessed a press conference in person I found this most interesting in terms of having read the media plan and research. To contain and manage the media it was ensured that the focus of questioning be central to the joint venture of Fircroft Tanjung.  Our team advised the client to not have Managing Director of Tanjung Offshore Datuk Harzani Azmi present in light of last weeks media coverage and his humor and loose lipped nature. For further reading on information preceding the event click here. Tanjung Offshore executive director Muhammad Sabri Ab Ghani, Fircroft CEO Jonathon Johnson and Fircroft Dhirendra Shantilal were all a part of the panel for the press conference. There was also the chance for the media to conduct one on one interview with Johnathon Johnson after.

At the conclusion of the press conference, which lasted 10 or so minutes Tanjung Offshore executive director Muhammad Sabri Ab Ghani was somewhat bombarded by the media for comment on the suspension of trading shares. For further details click here. At this point it was too hard for the Go Communications team to diffuse, the media were hungry for a formal statement from Tanjung Offshore. Having seen what happened it really showed how poorly the situation was handled by  Tanjung Offshore.

I also found it interesting that after media events that the client always provides a lunch for media. During this time this also allows my team, Karen and Kwan Ting to mingle and network with media, this is vital in establishing a relationship and ensuring that reporters presence at future events. I was quite amazed that this was protocol and a somewhat of thank you for their attendance.

Above: Me enjoying some traditional Malaysian rice desserts at our media luncheon, post event – Joint Venture Signing Ceremony between Fircroft and Tanjung.

All in all, the event was highly successful. Although, a few stories focused of the Ekuinas non-complete clause, we managed to generate a PR value of greater than RM 1,000,000. PR value essentially measures the effectiveness and reach of that article it is calculated by, multiplying the height by the width by the cost of buying that space. I found it interesting that the firm used PR value, as it is highly criticized by academics. However, I suppose clients demand some physical worth of their investment into Go Communications services and want to see the value in the money spent.

Felicity

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GETTING GOING

Like any other day at Go Communications, I begin my days skimming through my daily newspaper- The Edge Financial Daily and Malay Mail. It has become apparent that this seems to be the crux of the intern’s responsibility. One thing that I have observed is a) the mass waste of paper from creating templates and b) the process seems to be quite inefficient and consuming. Considering this, it has become apparent just how anal and demanding particular clients can be. Particular clients would even demand all clippings (press, competition and industry) before lunch at 12pm, mostly these were larger clients, in which we were clipping perhaps an average of 20 or more clippings a day.

Through this practice it has proven to me what an influential role media plays in public relations in shaping and forming our roles on a daily basis. It has also brought to light how patience is a virtue, and one must comply with client needs and demands.

FIRCROFT AND TANJUNG OFFSHORE JOINT VENTURE

In the past week, my team, Vertical, has been working towards the joint venture signing between Fircroft and Tanjung Offshore Sdn Bhd. The purpose of the event was to publicise Fircroft’s expansion into South East Asia, through an official signing ceremony between Fircroft CEO Johnathon Johnson and Tanjung Managing Director, Datuk Harzani Azmi.

Fircroft is a world leader in technical recruitment services of the highest quality and standard- providing specialised skilled workers to the industry. Tanjung Offshore is a service provider for the oil and gas industry. They provide customised engineered equipment packages, drilling & platform services, project management of contracts, spares and parts for equipment and other related services. Essentially the JV allows Fircroft a liscenece to operate in Malaysia.

PRECEDING THE EVENT

In the process of leading up to the event, team Vertical initiated several conference calls with the clients. Upon observation it became apparent that dealing and juggling between the two entities could cause some difficulties in confirming information. It definitely showed a sense of perhaps how blaze the attitude of the Malaysian company was and how vital the JV was for Fircroft operations in Malayasia.

Prior to the event on the 4^th June, two weeks out from the event it was announced in the press that shares of ‘TanjungOffshore suspended’. In brief, it was speculated that Tanjung Offshore were to acquire equity shares in Bourbon Offshore in a reverse takeover. 

For further information on the outcome please visit: 

http://www.thestar.com.my/Business/Business-News/2014/06/18/tanjung-offshore-approaches-equinas/?style=biz

Unfortunately this was not information that was not disclosed between Tanjung Ofshore and Go Communications, nor did they inform their JV Fircroft. Ultimately, this could be forseen as damaging relationships and trust between the two parties (Fircroft and Tanjung). It also was based on quite a bit of here-say, in no way was the media managed effectively in this situation. Tanjung Offshore in no way had come out to make a official statement or press release to comment on the speculative rumours and how it would effect their company share value and position in the market. Furthermore, it could be seen that this could damage the success of the JV event between Fircroft and Tanjung Offshore, as key messages may get lost in the swirl of the media frenzy.

Timing is key to the running events, and everything is planned and prepared well in advance. In the lead up I was required to produce a running sheet, I was super nervous about this as at this stage I really had no details on the event and didn’t feel all that familiar with the client or event. But, I gave it my best shot, and was even surprised by my own abilities. I believe having previous experience in events and a keen eye for detail really helped me in completing this task.

Completing this task taught me:

a) To be more confident in my own abilities

b) Always ask relevant questions

c) Logically think and plan the who, what, where, why and how

d) Always spell check

Having handed it over to my supervisor I was surprised when I got it back for review that very few changes were made to the running sheet. This made me ecstatic, pat on the back!

Media invites were sent out the Friday prior to the event, Wednesday 18^th June 2014. Something that became apparent from other teams, is that you never really want to send out media invites to far in advance as they get lost in the noise of other events and daily news. Hence, becoming wasted time, resources and effort, causing the team to do even more running about in securing media attendance.

Media calls are the bane of my existence at Go Communications! I have now noticed just how ocker I perhaps do sound, and how the Australian language slang is so apparent when abroad. 

Patience is a virtue, especially granted in the situation of media calls, when you are trying to follow up whether or not an editor or reporter has received your invite. Getting past reception was already a task in itself when most receptionists I could not understand or they could not understand me. 

Lessons learnt:

1. Pronunciation and articulation is essential for mutual understanding.

2. Know which desk and whom you want to talk to.

3. Know which e-mail it was sent to and perhaps gain further details on other writers or editors it could be forwarded to.

4. Have a pitch prepared – editors don’t have time for you, you are meaningless in the scale of things. Sell the event to them and have all details ready.

ONE DAY TO GO!

With one day to go before the event the manic and stress begins on finer details. Meeting with the client was a key process, ensuring the client on the PR Plan that included a run sheet, a Q&A Document and a speech and finer details. At this stage meeting with the client at the Grand Hyatt in the centre of Kuala Lumper, was a definite highlight, checkout the view below!

Having the opportunity to sit on this meeting showed me just how fast and busy the business world is, and how little time they make for you. I also learnt that have a guest or guests of honor are key for events in Malaysia, they love a good name drop and gave the companies an opportunity to officiate the JV. We also went over guest lists and who were the key people to be attending. And never forget the finer details, at this point neither company had organized a media backdrop which would include importantly company branding, this would be a downfall as any picture published would not have any recognisable company logo.

IT’S THE FINAL COUNTDOWN

Media calls, media calls and more media calls, pretty sure by this stage I had no nails yet. We had promised our client a minimum of at least 12 media to attend, but as a team were really aiming for 20. It became apparent how tedious the process actually is as we spent from 4 pm onwards-harassing newspaper. But, realistically no editor or news desk assigns tasks from about 6:30 onwards, so it was a long night ahead.

Much of my evening was spent also tying maroon ribbon around the aluminum cases that held a branded flash light, these were gifts for media and guests. I had around 100 to tie and boy was that a gigantic task, luckily my fellow interns offered to stay back and help me tie them and we powered on through. Had they not I think I would have been at the office till the morning!

It was rather exciting that I got to take the first media call that said they were accepting our invitation, from there this really got the ball rolling. However, I was in the office till 9.45pm confirming all media, by the end of the night we had confirmed 20 media pax.

Knowing that I had to be in Kuala Lumpur by 9am the following day and after the long day I had today, really did guarantee a good nights sleep for me.

Felicity

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