Media Relations: An Malaysian Perspective

Media relations looks to be a whole different ball game here in Malaysia.

At GO Communications in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, it appears to be common practice to mass distribute press-releases to a huge host of daily newspapers, magazines and online publications. Even for broadcast media, it is assumed they will show up to an invited event because it is their job to do so, without having to play a certain angle or convince them of the newsworthiness of your story. Amazingly enough, it seems to work!

Through my experience running public events with the Curtin University PR Student Chapter and from discussions with current journalists, I can tell you it is NOT that easy to pull media coverage in a small city like Perth. Even our lecturers teach that it is a struggle to pique the interest of journalists and editors; and that presenting a customized press release or proposal to every publication or broadcaster is a necessity.

The distinctive difference I've noticed between Perth and Kuala Lumpur is a big one: the number of media outlets is vastly higher. While WA has only 2 prominent newspapers (The West Australian and The Sunday Times), Kuala Lumpur has 4x as many large-scale newspapers, published in 4 languages - English, Malay, Chinese and Tamil.  

See the links below for full lists:

Malaysia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_newspapers_in_Malaysia

Western Australia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_newspapers_published_in_Western_Australia

When you are one of a limited number of outlets, you don’t have to try too hard to produce original content. You can sit back and take your pick from the variety of stories sent your way. Multiply that number of media by 4x and suddenly you are willing to take on just about anything to give yourself an edge over your competitors.

But don’t despair Australia! There is another important aspect to consider.

While it may be a lot easier to get your story in the media in Malaysia, the variety of publications available means that the circulation rate of each is going to be lower. Less choice means more people getting their news from the same outlet. Just because you increase the choice by 10x, it doesn’t mean readers are going to buy 10x more magazines and newspapers.

This example proves how important it is to selectively target media outlets who talk specifically to your target audience using a tailored pitch, whether it be in Australia or Malaysia.

Do you agree with my suppositions about media relations across countries? How would you approach media relations for an international PR project - with your own countries methods or anthers? Let me know in the comments below.

You Can’t Rush a Rush Job

So it’s 4pm and you’ve still got one hour of mind-dulling media research to go before you switch of your screen and head home. You’ve just settled your brain into stand-by mode for the next 55 minutes, when out of the blue, your supervisor realizes that no-one has been on the job of scripting speaking points for the Global GM and National GM of an international company, who are in the middle of an acquisition. Suddenly your up and you have two (yes TWO) high-profile speeches due by next morning.

For the next 45 minutes you’re struggle to kick-start your creativity writing into gear, but it seems to have run out of mileage an hour too early.

6pm is ticking closer and now you have to make the critical decision: Stay late or smash it out in the 2 hours you have before its due tomorrow morning. 

You suddenly get the feeling like your back in university, making the all-important choice between watching one more episode of Orange is the New Black or breaking out that assignment you have due in the next 24hrs. Now that you’re actually working for a client and representing your company, the pressure is higher than ever and you have to truly weigh up the quality of work you can produce in limited time. Dusting your assignment with colour-coded graphs or intelligent articulations isn't going to impress your boss or your client, as it may have done your 2nd year professors.

When it comes down to it you can’t rush an important task, even when your client only gives it to you last-minute. Even as an unpaid intern you have a responsibility to produce quality work, especially when you’re handed a job that would otherwise be completed by an account manager. You need to show up and deliver, on time. 

As much as you try, you can’t always stick to your perfectly scripted timeline, because clients don’t really like to be bossed around by someone they are employing (i.e. you, the PR consultancy).

 For a career in PR, be prepared to arrive early, work late, and even put in hours on the weekends if you’re running events. 

Let’s be real, it’s not going to 7am-10pm every day, but PR work usually comes in ebbs and flows so there are definitely going to be days where you’ll have to put in the extra effort, and you probably won’t be paid for it. It is a sacrifice we make to do we work we love.

Don’t believe me? Have a look at these facts from the Bureau of Labour Statistics, USA:

 http://www.bls.gov/ooh/media-and-communication/public-relations-specialists.htm

How has your experience with PR been so far? Is there the same expectation to work over-time doing in-house PR vs. Consultancy? Do you think this expectation fits into Australia's Gen. Y ideal of the work-life balance? Let's discuss in the comments.

There IS an ‘I’ in Team

During my time at university I have done A LOT of team work and group projects. Study PR and it is a given to have one group-based assignment at minimum, if not several, making up about 40% of you total grade.

We are told time and again that in the ‘real world’ you will always work as part of a team, with the inference that all projects and campaigns are in part team-based. Well, having now worked in the ‘real world’ I have quickly come to the realization that universities have got it very wrong. In my two weeks at GO Communications I have witnessed one instance where my team has worked together collaboratively – an event we ran involving a large number of media, VIPs and children.

Ok, yes. Every now and then someone will bring up an idea to bounce ideas around, but generally in a conversation of only one or two people. Apart from this, clients are handled by one team member alone, responsible for all campaigns and strategies and all associated reports and documents.

There is a possibility that this is a cultural difference stemming from the ‘collectivist’ behavior often found in Asian countries, whereby the boss is always right, individual opinion isn’t desired and conflict is avoided – not exactly an ideal environment for spit-balling and brainstorming ideas.

However, after observing other teams within the office I believe it could be more a case of personal preference and leadership styles than divergent cultural aspects.

Not sure what collectivism is? Have a look at the short video below for a simple explanation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CW7aWKXB5J4

I have heard from several colleagues and friends working in various sectors in Asia, who disagree with the textbook view that the work style in Asian cultures is so very different from the westernized environment we have in Australia.  It may also exemplify the suggestion that some textbook theories regarding Asian culture and behaviour are based on stereotypes and older traditional outlooks, and don’t accommodate for cultural fusions and social modernizations.

Have you experienced a cultural difference in your work environment or expectations in Australia compared to Asian countries? What is your take on the benefits of team work vs. the focused one-man-team? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Not All Fun and Fancy

Fresh faced out of my penultimate semester of study, you are expecting to work hard, all go all the time. Brainstorming campaigns in the morning and writing up reports in the afternoon; writing press releases by the press’ deadlines at 4pm, and later dashing off to manage client events until the late hours.

A big reality check was fast coming my way working at GO Communications in Malaysia. Not everything you do is going to be interesting, creative or even overly productive work, BUT it is all still extremely necessary and your responsibility to get it done.As the new intern there is many a menial task that gets relegated to you, because someone more important doesn’t have the time.

From continuous follow-up with media about the same press release you have sent them 3 times,

 To endless double-checking of contact details for the PICs (Person in Charge) that don’t want to take your call.

It’s important to recognize where these annoyingly tedious tasks fit into an overall campaign and understand why it may be crucial to a client’s success, or even just for your own ease and efficiency.

Say you didn’t relentlessly follow-up the press releases you poured your time, creativity and sweat into, then you wouldn’t know if or when a piece might get picked up or when to check a publication. Every piece of publicity you provide your client needs to be found and recorded (as press clippings), as proof to your client that you are worth every cent they are paying for your services, so knowing when one is coming can save you a WHOLE bunch of reading around. Plus, the feeling you get when you (eventually) hear from a media contact that they are going to publish a piece on your client is like excitement, surprise, gratitude and joy all rolled into one.

So yes. Being an intern can be incredibly dull. And, yes. You will get passed all the terrible jobs that no one else wants to do. But at the same time, once you realize the responsibility and the necessity behind all those annoying tasks and you get to report your successes to your boss, you will come to appreciate the work more and more.

Of course, the odd writing assignment and event role will keep your interest peaked and help you get through the hours of media calls and research. The good thing about being a PR intern is that you figure out pretty quickly if you are cut out for a career in PR.

If the small joys of seeing your client’s name in the paper and the energy from getting those creative juices flowing doesn’t wake you up in the morning, then PR might not be the field for you. Because it appears that in PR, you survive the days of tediousness to enjoy the tasks you love.

How do you find working in the PR field – full of excitement and ingenuity, a struggle to wade through the deadly dullness, or a good mix of both? Let me know in the comments.