Coles "$2 for 2 litres of milk" PR/Marketing effort

Mr John and I briefly discussed about the connection between public relations and marketing plus psychology last month, so I would like to share with you all here.
Public relations officer requires developing a cohesive communication strategy that is reactive and proactive to increase understanding of society with the aim of changing the public or society’s behaviour. Anderson (2007) quoted Bernays’ idea, "PR man not only needs to be smart and intuitive, he needs to understand psychology, sociology" in order to be successful.


A good example is the Coles ‘$2 for 2 litres of milk’. This is indeed a very good PR/marketing effort as it shows how Coles is giving a helping hand to support the community by lowering down the price of this daily food. This effort successfully gained good reputation and reception from the local community, especially during the economic crisis that happened in recent year. This also shows that Coles understood the need of the society. :)

Anderson, Sarah. 2007. How Is Psychology Important to Public Relations? Accessed May 2, http://portfolio.prblogs.org/2007/03/14/how-is-psychology-important-to-public-relations/.

--------- Gerain [Chan Yue Yong, 14185001]

Week 8 and more - media launch

Hello all, it’s been a while since my last post. I have completed my internship since February 25, but I volunteered myself to stay in the company and continue my tasks as a personal assistant of Mr John Michael.

I attended the Blue Room Theatre’s Up Close season launch with Mr John on 10th March. It was a great and exciting event for me as I managed to talk to numerous stage play writers, producers, directors, actors, and also journalists from a variety of media agencies in the event. The event was organised by the Blue Room Theatre, and served as the launching of upcoming shows such as “A Germ of an Idea”, “Appalling Behaviour”, “Scent Tales” and “Drag”. The attendees were given a short introduction of each show by the writer, as well as a brief snippet of a black comedy “Anytown”. The short snippet was interesting; it was like a movie teaser, but a real life stage version. I gained some ideas on how a media launch should be, and this kind of event is a perfect way to create connection and contacts.

I continued to update media roster and then uploaded to our company website; edited the media reports and media listings, and also submitted event listings on several websites such as Eventful.com, Community News, Enjoy Perth, Whatson.com, and ABC’s The Big Diary to promote the current and upcoming shows. I started to practise the originating-checking-recording method when collecting show listings on the internet.

I received an invitation to watch “Appalling Behaviour” on 28th March, which is one of the client’s shows that we were working on earlier. It was good to see the success of a small budget production received good amount of positive responses and reviews from the press, and also the amount of article published. However, I learnt that publicist and reviewers could write in certain way, so it is important to have and maintain good relationship with the media.

More posts coming up. Happy Easter everyone :)

Week 7 – (maybe) the final week of my internship

Last week was the busiest week of my time at JMS PR, as it was the final week of my internship.
What I’ve completed this week
- Called to a health department to cancel an appointment on behalf of Mr John.
- Called and leaved a voice message to Dianah Star, the communications manager of Blue Room Theatre, to change the original meeting time to Friday afternoon.
- Assisted Mr John to select John Aitken and Cody Fern’s photos from “The Enchanters” photo shoot last week for the media and publicity.
- Sorted the company emails and outlook emails, as well as solved the domain name issue (sent several emails and e-tickets to VentralP, the domain server for guidance to create new emails under Miragecorporation.com and alternate ways to access to the emails).
- Mr John and I attended a meeting with Dianah Star at the Blue Room Theatre.
- Developing an analysis report about Facebook and Twitter, plus social media strategies.
- Researched information of events at Russell Square, purchases stamps and satchel in post office
- Sorted an issue occurred in one of the eBay transactions. And also created new listings on eBay, and then packed and sent out some goods to eBay buyers.
- I found few emails regarding to the show “Bitter Sweet & Twisted” by Mirage Makers that were overlooked for months due to email technical issue. I replied to the queries and CD order on behalf of Mr John, and then I posted the CD to the buyer.

What I’ve learnt this week
- The difference between definite and indefinite article. Definite article is used to refer to specific topic, usually with 'the' to point out particular object; while indefinite article is used to refer to a non-particular topic, so 'a' or 'an' is used in the article in general. This is a good technique to determine or start to write an article or media release in particular writing style.
- Time is important and critical in public relations, especially dealing with the media, so we need to label photos correctly and easy-to-refer to avoid missing the media opportunity, for example, if we could not find the photos requested by the media.
- The word ‘viable’ when selecting the photos, which referred to usable photos that have advantages in the media and able to generate fair publicity.
- From the meeting with Dianah Star, I learnt that most of the public relations materials are strictly confidential and not even allowed to share with everyone working in the same company.
- The ‘emails being overlooked’ issue is a good lesson for us to improve and organize emails more efficiently to avoid any important emails being overlooked again. As stated by Breakenridge and DeLoughry (2003, 93), PR needs to create a positive impression, image, or perception in every communication, and any imperfections in email communication are a direct reflection on company.

*****

23 days in JMS Public Relations was an amazing learning experience and a highlight of my time in my university life. The internship program offered me a chance to use my public relations knowledge learnt throughout my three years at Curtin University plus general knowledge and skills in a variety of tasks. I am sincerely grateful for the opportunity to work with John Michael Swinbank. Since I am the only staff member in the office, he personally taught me a lot of public relations techniques and skills, as well as additional information that broaden my knowledge.

The internship has given me a clear picture of what it’s like to work in the world of public relations, particularly working experience as a publicist and administration assistant, along with basic knowledge of Perth theatre and stage productions, and the performing arts industry.


---------- by Gerain [Chan Yue Yong (14185001)]

Week 6 – Dress Code

What I’ve completed this week
- “The Enchanters” photo shoot session at the office. I met John Aitken the writer of the play, Cody Fern the main actor, and Peter the photographer.
- Transferred all the photos into John’s laptop for selection later.
- Called Australian Chinese Times and The Epoch Times to discuss further about media opportunity and media release procedures.
- Updated media reports and media clippings.
- Created new document folders.
- Sorted Memeo external drive to back up company’s documents.
- Created new listings on eBay.
- Packed and sent out the goods to eBay buyers, and also replied to eBay queries, updated delivery status, and leaved feedbacks to buyers.

What I’ve learnt this week
- Mr John explained the client’s company background, and showed me an example of business plan of another client.
- I learnt that correct labelling of digital files and documents is essential, because we might accidentally grab the wrong files if we were in rush, or the worst situation is we might send out the wrong files with incomplete information to the media. So it is crucial to make sure the files are correctly labelled to avoid any undesirable issues.
- PR may spend huge amount of time in phone calls, such as answering media queries and phone discussion with the clients.
- There is no specific dress code for public relations officer as every PR firm has unique atmosphere and environment (eHow 2011). However, since PR is often considered as the face of a company, PR should wear presentable and appropriate attire for good impression. On the other hand, some showbiz public relations officers can be more flexible in dress code than other business firms as it is a way to express the characteristic of a theatre publicist.

*
By Gerain Chan (Chan Yue Yong, 14185001)

Week 5 – Event listings

What I’ve completed this week
- Contacted and send an email to Chinese media such as The Epoch Times, Australian Chinese Times and WA Chinese Chamber of Commerce (The Abacus) to get latest information about the media opportunity for the near future.
- Installed a Chinese typing program ‘NJ Star Communicator’ into the office computer for future use.
- A fun and nice Friday afternoon meeting with Monica Main, the writer and actor of “A Germ of an Idea”! We discussed about media strategy to promote the show, and structured the original media release to a more light-hearted version to suit the theme and characteristic of the show.
- Developed, edited and contributed new ideas for “A Germ of an Idea” media release.
- Create show listings for media releases.
- Updated media roster.
- Packed and sent out the goods to eBay buyers, and also replied to eBay queries, updated delivery status, and leaved feedbacks to buyers.

What I’ve learnt this week
- Creating a listing was a challenging task as we need to rewrite essential information from media release into one or two paragraphs (overview of the show in one paragraph, show dates and booking information in the next paragraph).
- It is not a great idea to send emails to the media or others on Friday afternoon, as they might not be pleased to receive any tasks at last minute that probably will affect their weekend.

P/S: Have a sweet and happy Valentine's Day 2011 everyone :)

Week 4 – Contact List

What I’ve completed this week
- Update media roster (edited images of the media releases).
- Finalised “The Night Zoo” media report.
- Created new labels for document storage boxes.
- Filing of company documents.
- Created a Chinese media file along with updating the media contact list.
- Verified and updated company’s Password List
- Contribute my ideas and opinions in the new “Two Old Queens” poster, and made some modification from the raw file of the previous poster.
- Fixed second office printer.
- Scanned several documents and then edited few images.
- Checked Bureau de Charge outlets on the internet.
- Removed Car Bay listings
- Researched on the prices for next DVD listing
- Sorted music files on computer

What I’ve learnt this week
- A public relations officer could have huge amount of contacts especially the media, so the contact list should be neat, up-to-date, and complete. Harrison (2000, 11) suggest that “with good contact list, the public relations officer will stand a better chance of interesting the appropriate media in a story on the launch of a new product, or deflecting problems which could arise for the company.”
- Mr John and I briefly discussed about the advantages of certain companies having a slogan or tagline in general, and used McDonald’s ‘I’m Lovin’ It’ and Hungry Jack’s ‘Our burgers are better’ as example. The purpose of slogan is to communicate a cogent, benefit-rich, memorable marketing message (David Ward 2008).
- Mr John emphasised that it is important to double check any email before sending it to anyone, as there might be a risk of sending wrong information or sending to the wrong person. Public Relations deal with perceptions, so it is important to make sure the message is correct before sending it out.

-------------------------

Harrison, Shirley. 2000. Public relations: an introduction. 2nd ed. United Kingdom: Routledge.

Ward, David. 2008. A good slogan (tagline) can be worth its weight in gold. Accessed May 3, http://www.attorneymarketing.com/2008/03/11/a-good-slogan-tagline-can-be-worth-its-weight-in-gold.

Week 3 – Proofreading

I will attend an interesting movie screening event “Farmerville” on behalf of Mr John on 29th January!

What I’ve completed this week
- Updated media roster, including design and editing of photos.
- More media clippings and collection of articles related to “The Enchanters”, “The Night Zoo”, “Her Holiness”, “The Velveteen Rabbit” and “Two Old Queens”.
- Proofread the Car Bay Agreement.
- Cleared and arranged the office.
- Requested an official invoice from a phone shop.
- Pack and sent out the goods to eBay buyers, and also replied to eBay queries, updated delivery status, and leaved feedbacks to buyers.

What I’ve learnt this week
- It is important to keep an official receipt for certain items such as newly purchased phone in case there is anything happen in the future.
- The sales on eBay were great. I agreed with what Mr John said, the internet shopping nowadays is slowly taking over physical retail stores, because things are cheaper online due to low business cost, as sellers are able to avoid paying rent, staffs, electricity bills, insurances, and the cost of renovating physical stores, which is a major cost saving (Michael Fox 2011).
- Proofread any agreement with someone to make sure that the content is correct and no error in the document. Careful proofing can avoid a great deal of embarrassment in public relations department (Kinzey 1999, 98).

Here are some tips to avoid errors from being published: Spell-checking the document, but do not rely on proofreading by looking at the computer screen; Two or three sets of eyes help expose punctuation, typographical and grammatical errors; Try reading the document aloud or backward to locate errors; Repeatedly check the spelling of names (Kinzey 1999, 98).

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Fox, Michael. 2011. Comparing the costs of launching an online vs physical retail store. Accessed February 5, http://www.22michaels.com/2011/02/comparing-costs-of-launching-online-
vs.html.

Kinzey, Ruth Ellen. 1999. Using public relations strategies to promote your nonprofit organization. United States: The Haworth Press.

Week 2 – To Do List!

What I’ve completed this week
- Updated media roster, including design and arrange photos
- More media clippings and collection of articles related to “Spellbound”, “The Night Zoo” and “Two Old Queens”.
- Created a media announcement for an upcoming theatre show “The Enchanters” on DCA website
- Created a ‘To Do List!’ so that Mr John and I could keep track on our daily tasks and its due date. This is an effective communication tool as we are clear on tasks that we should do.
- Designed a new email signature that consists of show dates.

What I’ve learnt this week
- A ‘To Do List!’ is an effective communication tool in office as we are clear on tasks that we should and prioritise.
- Mr John briefly explained about the phone ticket selling strategy that is being used by a client to sell the show tickets.
- I helped Mr John to create some listings to sell several items that is no longer needed on eBay.
- Mr John showed me a short video clip of “The Night Zoo”, which is one of the upcoming shows of a client.
- Mr John briefly described about Mirage Corporation contact database and the company website, which I will be updating it in the next few weeks.
- Mr John and I discussed about the risk of open blog posts and replies, as harmful replies and comments from spammers may affect the reputation of the company.

Week 1 – Crisis Management

The official/first week of my internship at JMS PR. I will be working at JMS PR on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday every week.

What I’ve completed this week
- Media clippings of client’s shows, such as “The Sound of Music”, “R&J”, “Spellbound” and “Oklahoma”
- Update media roster which consists of upcoming show dates, media releases and listings for the media outlets.
- Send emails to Scoop Magazine and WA Chinese Chamber of Commerce for media opportunity.
- Arranged office paper documents that filed in several folders.
- Created new label designs for document folders.
- Research of phone operators and plans (3, Vodafone, Telstra)

What I’ve learnt this week
- It is important to have clear file names and labels in order to avoid any confusion with the company files.
- Vodafone’s crisis management. This week is the black week for Vodafone due to technical issues included the leak of information and then connection problems; as a result the company received overwhelming complaints from their users. They tried to deal with the crisis by sending notification emails and phone voice messages to the users, hope that they would understand about the situation and be patience when they are trying to fix the issues. This is a good lesson for us on how the company and public relations department deals with crisis, and the possible ways of managing the issue.
- Reviewed show ticket sales, which link to budgeting and breakeven. We need to make sure that budgeting needs to take all aspects into account.

Prelude: Preparation for internship at JMS PR

Even though my ‘official’ internship is going to start on 10th January 2011, I was invited by Mr John Michael Swinbank to do some early preparation and experience at the office this week. This three preparation days was my baby steps into JMS PR and public relations industry.

I would like to briefly introduce the company:

JMS Mirage Corporation is a boutique Perth-based public relations house that consists of a commercial theatrical production company Mirage Makers and JMS Public Relations. JMS Public Relations is a highly regarded public relations house specialising in the arts, entertainment, and health and lifestyle areas in Perth, Western Australia, often on the cutting edge of contemporary arts practice. JMS Public Relations offers professional services in the fields of public, media and community relations, marketing and design expertise, as well as event and crisis management. JMS PR is located at Northbridge.

I am the only staff member in JMS PR. I was thrilled to know that I have been assigned to be Mr John Michael’s personal assistant. Mr John also explained my tasks as a PA and few ground rules in the office.

What I’ve completed this week
- Mr John and I discussed and prepared for an emergency meeting to deal with crisis that happened within a client’s organisation, included meeting discussion list and contingency plan to deal with current situation.
- I have done some article clippings and media report, which is the record of media coverage about the shows or company in general, for a client who we had a meeting on the next day.
- Mr John and I attended a rehearsal of a then-upcoming comedy theatre show “Puss in Boots” at Playhouse Theatre. It was exciting and nice to see the rehearsal and a snippet of the show as I have never been to any theatre in Perth before; I briefly talked to the director of the show John Senczuk and the music composer.
- The research of Public and School Holiday calendar for scheduling of show dates
- Created several Car Bay lease advertisements in social websites such as Gumtree and RentMyCarPark

What I’ve learnt this week
- I learnt about my job scope and tasks as a personal assistant at JMS PR
- I learnt that it is important to maintain good relationship within the organisation, particularly between board members and staff members.

More posts coming up soon! Good luck everyone!