I am on fire today!! A lot of stuff has happened that I want to write about :)
We released an article on behalf of Stefans jewellers about a ring that was purchased for $1 million bucks. Wowser! We thought it was pretty newsworthy, perfect timing for valentines day, and a bit of light relief after all the heart break in Victoria.
The websites Perthnow and watoday ran the story, which was great. On Perthnow, the article got 94 comments. Sounds great, right?
Not so much!!
Some of the comments were very bitter and nasty, commenting on the waste of so much money in the economic period, and the devastation in Victoria.
"While I applaud the fact that this man can afford to make this purchase, he has openly contributed (knowingly or otherwise) to the Blood Diamond trade in Africa."
"Are you kidding me? We've got nearly 200 dead(expected to go much higher) and 5000 homeless in Victoria as a result of the fires. I hope the recipient gets to look at pictures of wives with no husbands, kids with no parents or toys, the homeless and the absolute devastation in the faces of those who have lost everything. Enjoy your ring!"
"Yeah all people with money deserve it how dare we criticise... What a load of BS. $1m on some ugly ring is stupid and anyone who spends like that obviously hasn't mastered business and savings. I bet daddy gave him a fair bit of cash and he works 3 hours a day while his staff earn him all the money"
However, some of them were great and got behind the un-named buyer.
"Thats really sweet. Lucky lady. Why are people bagging this guy out???"
"He has probably donated more then you earn in a year, it's a gift to his sweetheart, how sad on life are you, Why don't you give them your home if you've got one. Hope she loves the ring mate"
"You ever thought the guy might just be successful and really love his partner? Why does it always have to be suspicious? No wonder we are a world of cynics!"
All those lessons and lectures about PR being uncontrollable, particularly in a new media forum, suddenly got rammed home. It was a fantastic experience to witness that first hand, from the first story idea (which I helped formulate), to writing the release, then pitching it, then the joy of getting it placed, then the angst as we watched the comments role in.
As for those comments, I think the defence won in the end, but maybe that's just my hopeful bias :) Check it out yourself
Cheers,
Krish
Bentley Campus
Showing posts with label Krish. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Krish. Show all posts
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Ethical Issues
Hi all,
This will be very hard to explain without revealing all the details, but I'll have a go anyway.
PPR is doing the PR for a festival coming up in March that promotes children's literacy - basically, a whole bunch of famous (and not so famous) children's writers are holding workshops over three days with the kids that read their books. Sounds great, right?!
Well, I was given the opportunity to pitch a targeted media release to a variety of education and parenting media. Cool stuff, and I was a bit proud that PPR trusted me with that (even though I'd done it in my other job).
So anyway. I called up *XY* media. The editor said he was not going to run the article because of one minor thing that went against his personal "code" for the outlet (I can't tell you, it would give to much away!). So essentially, a media outlet that was supposed to be all for children's needs and good development wasn't going to mention an excellent, not for profit festival.
I let it go. We were going to get coverage in lots of other media, so it was their loss I figured. BUT the client heard about this, and her boss casually mentioned it to their local MP, who had had dealings with the editor before.
So now it has escalated into a big drama! The MP's office called me today to hear my side of the story, and everyone PPR and the client's office knows what going on. The editor will probably get a telling off, and he will probably not cover anything PPR sends to him again! Yaaah!
But anyway, the point of the story was to discuss ethics. Is it alright not to print something newsworthy and valuable because you think it might have a negative effect on your readers? (Well, negative in his mind anyway). Particularly is the case where this story is a very good cause, not like we're promoting something frivolous or unhealthy. Is it right to be so blatant about it? Should I have taken note of this and escalated it myself?
Questions which I think can't really be answered without me giving you all the details. Sorry, it's confidential :)
But personally, I thought it was pretty wrong, and everyone at PPR agrees. So everyone, just watch out for some journalists. Everyone has their own agenda (right or wrong) that you have to be aware of. I would heartily recommend talking to people in the office before calling anyone in the media up, just to get a bit of background so you know if there are any issues like this!
See ya,
Krish
Bentley
This will be very hard to explain without revealing all the details, but I'll have a go anyway.
PPR is doing the PR for a festival coming up in March that promotes children's literacy - basically, a whole bunch of famous (and not so famous) children's writers are holding workshops over three days with the kids that read their books. Sounds great, right?!
Well, I was given the opportunity to pitch a targeted media release to a variety of education and parenting media. Cool stuff, and I was a bit proud that PPR trusted me with that (even though I'd done it in my other job).
So anyway. I called up *XY* media. The editor said he was not going to run the article because of one minor thing that went against his personal "code" for the outlet (I can't tell you, it would give to much away!). So essentially, a media outlet that was supposed to be all for children's needs and good development wasn't going to mention an excellent, not for profit festival.
I let it go. We were going to get coverage in lots of other media, so it was their loss I figured. BUT the client heard about this, and her boss casually mentioned it to their local MP, who had had dealings with the editor before.
So now it has escalated into a big drama! The MP's office called me today to hear my side of the story, and everyone PPR and the client's office knows what going on. The editor will probably get a telling off, and he will probably not cover anything PPR sends to him again! Yaaah!
But anyway, the point of the story was to discuss ethics. Is it alright not to print something newsworthy and valuable because you think it might have a negative effect on your readers? (Well, negative in his mind anyway). Particularly is the case where this story is a very good cause, not like we're promoting something frivolous or unhealthy. Is it right to be so blatant about it? Should I have taken note of this and escalated it myself?
Questions which I think can't really be answered without me giving you all the details. Sorry, it's confidential :)
But personally, I thought it was pretty wrong, and everyone at PPR agrees. So everyone, just watch out for some journalists. Everyone has their own agenda (right or wrong) that you have to be aware of. I would heartily recommend talking to people in the office before calling anyone in the media up, just to get a bit of background so you know if there are any issues like this!
See ya,
Krish
Bentley
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Good Blogs
I have come to plug!
For those of you who check out blogs regularly, you have to look at http://www.theperthfiles.blogspot.com/ Its a funny take on Perth life, written by one of the consultants here at PPR, so it has some intersting reflections on topical issues and what is going on in the media. John Cooke is our resident new media expert, and seems to spend all his time surfing the web and twittering. Good job hey? Hint: John loves a good comment, and he will be a great contact for you in your career.
Also, I'm not sure if you know, but there is a huge conference coming up in March for marketing professionals. There will be amzing speakers and great networking opportunities. With the expected huge ticket price, I'm not sure many of you fellow students will be able to afford to go, but you can see the buzz at the blog site http://blog.amms09.com.au/ Hint: Post a few comments to get your name out there and start a dialogue with what could be future contacts!
Cheerios,
Krish
Bentley
For those of you who check out blogs regularly, you have to look at http://www.theperthfiles.blogspot.com/ Its a funny take on Perth life, written by one of the consultants here at PPR, so it has some intersting reflections on topical issues and what is going on in the media. John Cooke is our resident new media expert, and seems to spend all his time surfing the web and twittering. Good job hey? Hint: John loves a good comment, and he will be a great contact for you in your career.
Also, I'm not sure if you know, but there is a huge conference coming up in March for marketing professionals. There will be amzing speakers and great networking opportunities. With the expected huge ticket price, I'm not sure many of you fellow students will be able to afford to go, but you can see the buzz at the blog site http://blog.amms09.com.au/ Hint: Post a few comments to get your name out there and start a dialogue with what could be future contacts!
Cheerios,
Krish
Bentley
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Media Relations for Dummies
Hi all,
Krish here, doing my prac at PPR in Perth.
Near the end of week three, only one more week to go! Just like everyone seems to say - time is absolutely flying!
For the past week or so I've been working on the media relations for Lit Fest 09. Over three days at the end of March, All Saints' college will host a festival celebrating reading and promoting literacy. They are getting loads of famous kids and YA authors to come (Andy Griffiths, Jackie French, Sally Morgan etc ) and hold sessions with the kids, to excite them about the power of storytelling.
I've been writing mountains of media releases targeted at the relevant author's community newspaper, as well as towards education and parenting media. I've gotten great feedback for my writing from the consultants here, which was really nice. Also, the community papers seem to love the story, and we've already got coverage, which hopefully should pick up as we head towards March. See this week's Melville Times!However, the education and parenting papers have been a bit more difficult. I was given the task to pitch to them (which was nerve-racking but exciting), and they all seemed to love the story - of course they would as recent literacy trends in Australia have been a bit alarming. The problem is that they are all published monthly or bi-monthly, which means we may have gotten in a little too late to get meaningful editorial coverage. They all said the same thing: "Love it, will squeeze it in if we have room."
So now, I have to ring around again on Friday and kind of pitch in again, to try and ensure coverage! I do feel a little bit pushy though, as they've already told me that they will do what they can. One of the senior consultants said to me "Follow up is the key to getting into most publications." But where do you draw the line? Do you push like one of those nagging telemarketers, so they feel pressured into publishing your story? Or do you back off, leave them in peace, but run the risk of not getting any coverage at all?
I think you have to draw the line somewhere in the middle. For publications like the West who get 1000s of emails everyday, you obviously have to follow up fairly strongly to get your voice heard. For smaller, independent media, a decent story might only need an email and a phone call, and a willingness to arrange things like interviews and photos opps.
I think also it is about the relationship you have with the journalist. One thing I have learnt during work and prac is that the media isn't one big scary faceless entity - it is made up of people, often pretty nice ones, just like you and me! If you are friendly and professional, have interesting stories and follow through with the right amount of insistence, you'll be okay.
Okay, enough of all my sage-like advice. I don't know everything, not by a long shot. But its fun to start to work it all out. Have fun in the wide world of PR!
Krish How
Bentley Campus
Krish here, doing my prac at PPR in Perth.
Near the end of week three, only one more week to go! Just like everyone seems to say - time is absolutely flying!
For the past week or so I've been working on the media relations for Lit Fest 09. Over three days at the end of March, All Saints' college will host a festival celebrating reading and promoting literacy. They are getting loads of famous kids and YA authors to come (Andy Griffiths, Jackie French, Sally Morgan etc ) and hold sessions with the kids, to excite them about the power of storytelling.
I've been writing mountains of media releases targeted at the relevant author's community newspaper, as well as towards education and parenting media. I've gotten great feedback for my writing from the consultants here, which was really nice. Also, the community papers seem to love the story, and we've already got coverage, which hopefully should pick up as we head towards March. See this week's Melville Times!However, the education and parenting papers have been a bit more difficult. I was given the task to pitch to them (which was nerve-racking but exciting), and they all seemed to love the story - of course they would as recent literacy trends in Australia have been a bit alarming. The problem is that they are all published monthly or bi-monthly, which means we may have gotten in a little too late to get meaningful editorial coverage. They all said the same thing: "Love it, will squeeze it in if we have room."
So now, I have to ring around again on Friday and kind of pitch in again, to try and ensure coverage! I do feel a little bit pushy though, as they've already told me that they will do what they can. One of the senior consultants said to me "Follow up is the key to getting into most publications." But where do you draw the line? Do you push like one of those nagging telemarketers, so they feel pressured into publishing your story? Or do you back off, leave them in peace, but run the risk of not getting any coverage at all?
I think you have to draw the line somewhere in the middle. For publications like the West who get 1000s of emails everyday, you obviously have to follow up fairly strongly to get your voice heard. For smaller, independent media, a decent story might only need an email and a phone call, and a willingness to arrange things like interviews and photos opps.
I think also it is about the relationship you have with the journalist. One thing I have learnt during work and prac is that the media isn't one big scary faceless entity - it is made up of people, often pretty nice ones, just like you and me! If you are friendly and professional, have interesting stories and follow through with the right amount of insistence, you'll be okay.
Okay, enough of all my sage-like advice. I don't know everything, not by a long shot. But its fun to start to work it all out. Have fun in the wide world of PR!
Krish How
Bentley Campus
Monday, January 19, 2009
My First Day
Whew!
Krish here, from the Bentley Campus, fresh from my first day on prac at PPR.
It was pretty good! I met my supervisor Kate, who is very chatty and nice, and put me at ease straight away. Then I was taken on a tour of the building and met loads of people whose names I don't really remember (Luckily, they all have corporate photos, and the lovely admin officer sent them to me...something to take home and study). Then we went through my induction booklet, I signed a confidentiality agreement, and we were away!
The tasks I was given today were mainly adminy ones - compiling a media database for Landcorp (development, building, environmental and local publications), finding some information out about IKEA (we are pitching to them next week) and converting a spreadsheet to the national template (a very time consuming, frustrating job!).
My colleagues are extremely friendly and helpful - mostly younger women, which I expected. I am in the open plan section of the office, which is great as I can see and talk to a lot of people and beg for more work!
Kate had warned me before I started that this is traditionally a very quiet time for PR, especially in the present economic environment. I think I'm going to have to be extremely proactive in getting work, as everyone seems to be having a quiet period and doesn't have extra work they can give to me! The upside of this is that I can just spend time in PPR's fabulous training program (they have weekly long lunches where specialists visit and present to the practitioners), or just sitting in meetings, observing whats going on.
This Friday I will hopefully be going to Mandurah to an event organised by PPR - Ronald MacDonald House is donating $250,000 to the hospital for a relax room for parents. The Minister for Health, Kim Hames, will be there, so meeting him will be exciting!
Hope everyone is enjoying their experience!
See you soon,
Krish How
Bentley Campus
Krish here, from the Bentley Campus, fresh from my first day on prac at PPR.
It was pretty good! I met my supervisor Kate, who is very chatty and nice, and put me at ease straight away. Then I was taken on a tour of the building and met loads of people whose names I don't really remember (Luckily, they all have corporate photos, and the lovely admin officer sent them to me...something to take home and study). Then we went through my induction booklet, I signed a confidentiality agreement, and we were away!
The tasks I was given today were mainly adminy ones - compiling a media database for Landcorp (development, building, environmental and local publications), finding some information out about IKEA (we are pitching to them next week) and converting a spreadsheet to the national template (a very time consuming, frustrating job!).
My colleagues are extremely friendly and helpful - mostly younger women, which I expected. I am in the open plan section of the office, which is great as I can see and talk to a lot of people and beg for more work!
Kate had warned me before I started that this is traditionally a very quiet time for PR, especially in the present economic environment. I think I'm going to have to be extremely proactive in getting work, as everyone seems to be having a quiet period and doesn't have extra work they can give to me! The upside of this is that I can just spend time in PPR's fabulous training program (they have weekly long lunches where specialists visit and present to the practitioners), or just sitting in meetings, observing whats going on.
This Friday I will hopefully be going to Mandurah to an event organised by PPR - Ronald MacDonald House is donating $250,000 to the hospital for a relax room for parents. The Minister for Health, Kim Hames, will be there, so meeting him will be exciting!
Hope everyone is enjoying their experience!
See you soon,
Krish How
Bentley Campus
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Some Background Info
Hi all,
Krish here, from the Bentley campus.
Hope you're all enjoying your pracs! Mine doesn't start for a couple of weeks, but thought I'd do some research so I'm a bit better prepared.
I scored a placement with Professional Public Relations (PPR). They are perhaps the biggest/well regarded PR firm in Australia, so I count myself extremely lucky to get a place there. I didn't go through the uni placement system, just sent out loads of emails to what felt like all the PR firms in Perth (there are a surprisingly large amount of them). According to the Holmes Report, which monitors PR agencies around the world, PPR "now ranks among the market leaders in most of the major Antipodean markets including Sydney, Perth, Auckland Brisbane and Melbourne."
It was founded in 1970, and has expanded to have offices all over the world, including in every major Australian city, Auckland, Wellington, Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing. So who knows, hopefully after I graduate I might get a job in some far flung exotic city...More than 30 students have joined the PPR team as graduates since the intern program commenced in 2000, so I can only dream!
PPR's clients include big names such as MacDonald’s, Emirates, MasterCard, Dell, and my Dad’s personal favourite; Bunnings.
Peter Harris is the managing director for the Perth office, and has been with PPR for 8 years (with 22 years experience in media, government and corporate affairs). Seems a little intimidating, but my supervisor Kate Sugars seems very helpful and friendly, so I'm not too worried.
So all in all, I’m pretty excited to be getting experience with such an impressive company. I’m fairly confident, as I have worked in PR already, but not in a PR consultancy, only in-house. I think I’ll be able to learn a lot, and get a taste of each different speciality.
Now all that’s left to do s go shopping for some sharp office attire...
Krish How
Bentley, Perth
Krish here, from the Bentley campus.
Hope you're all enjoying your pracs! Mine doesn't start for a couple of weeks, but thought I'd do some research so I'm a bit better prepared.
I scored a placement with Professional Public Relations (PPR). They are perhaps the biggest/well regarded PR firm in Australia, so I count myself extremely lucky to get a place there. I didn't go through the uni placement system, just sent out loads of emails to what felt like all the PR firms in Perth (there are a surprisingly large amount of them). According to the Holmes Report, which monitors PR agencies around the world, PPR "now ranks among the market leaders in most of the major Antipodean markets including Sydney, Perth, Auckland Brisbane and Melbourne."
It was founded in 1970, and has expanded to have offices all over the world, including in every major Australian city, Auckland, Wellington, Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing. So who knows, hopefully after I graduate I might get a job in some far flung exotic city...More than 30 students have joined the PPR team as graduates since the intern program commenced in 2000, so I can only dream!
PPR's clients include big names such as MacDonald’s, Emirates, MasterCard, Dell, and my Dad’s personal favourite; Bunnings.
Peter Harris is the managing director for the Perth office, and has been with PPR for 8 years (with 22 years experience in media, government and corporate affairs). Seems a little intimidating, but my supervisor Kate Sugars seems very helpful and friendly, so I'm not too worried.
So all in all, I’m pretty excited to be getting experience with such an impressive company. I’m fairly confident, as I have worked in PR already, but not in a PR consultancy, only in-house. I think I’ll be able to learn a lot, and get a taste of each different speciality.
Now all that’s left to do s go shopping for some sharp office attire...
Krish How
Bentley, Perth
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