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.

Is Briefing Your Spokesperson Ethical?

Prior to an interview between one of our clients and the media, I was presented with a ‘Spokesperson Briefing book’ to review before the interview. This document ensures the spokesperson is prepared for the media’s questioning, and ensures answers will be diverted back to the well-being of the spokesperson’s establishment.

I have previously engaged in similar media preparation tasks for assignments at university, where we were told to “think like a journalist” – what would they ask the spokesperson?

This document contains four sections: interview details, media profile, anticipated media questions, followed by dos and don’ts.

As I began to scan through the first few pages, I began to question the ethical procedures involved with this spokesperson brief...

Does this interfere with the transparency and authenticity of the spokesperson? Does this mean a person cannot organically present themselves because public relations has twisted and tweaked the spokespersons dialogue and expression?

Alternatively, I considered the opposite side of the coin. The media has an established reputation of twisting statements and conversations made through every day conversation. They can utilize an unintentional statement and revert it against the spokesperson, for the purpose of their story.

This means spokespeople preferably need to be educated on their representation towards the media, in order to protect their reputation in the spotlight. Beneficially, this enhances their chance of positive publicity as media professionals (public relations) have studied how to effectively communicate with the media, to ensure honest and positive publicity.

Section four of the brief: Do’s and Don’ts. This was intriguing – I contemplated my previous impression of the brief as I now realized perhaps the spokesperson brief is ethical and necessary. Public Relations simply educates the spokesperson on being consistent in their messages, answering all questions, being clear and calm. The spokesperson is advised against memorizing answers provided by public relations. This ensures the spokesperson isn't spoon fed answers to the media, and still has the opportunity to naturally communicate with personal dialect. 

For the love of football

From the very first day of my internship at GO Communications (GO) I have been assisting in preparing for an event for our client Zurich Insurance Malaysia Berhad.

Zurich is running a Corporate Social Responsibility campaign called ‘Love for Football’. The campaign is in conjunction with Little League Malaysia and involves going to schools and teaching children essential football skills. Zurich will also be donating money to each school to be put towards football related expenses.

GO Communications’ role is to ensure the event gets coverage in the media. Two and a half weeks before the event my team members and I delivered the invitations to the media in the form of a yellow card. The invitations were hand delivered to about 15 media and emailed to over 50. For more information on the delivery of the media invitations refer to my previous blog ‘same same but different’ posted on 13^th June 2014.

In the days leading up to the event it was my job to call the media to get their RSVP. Unfortunately for us, most media departments do not assign their reporters until 6pm the night before. This means we often have to wait until 7pm at night before we can call them for their RSVP. On some occasions I was told to call back at 10pm. Zurich however, want to know final media numbers by 3pm the day before, a somewhat impossible task.

Today was the day the event finally took place. I woke up at 5am to arrive at the Football stadium by 6am. I was feeling a bit sorry for myself having to wake up so early, until I got to the stadium and met the event crew who had arrived at 1am in order to set everything up in time.

The event was MC’d by two local Malaysia personalities. The event program included a speech from Zurich CEO, a speech from the King’s brother, a performance by the keepie uppies and a friendly indoor football match between a local school versing some football legends and Little League coaches. The football legends include Datuk Santokh Singh and Abbas Saad who use to play for Australia.

Wondering what a Keepie Uppie performance looks like? Watch the video below.

My job on the day was to register the media and ensure they were well catered for and comfortable. It was really good to be a part of an event and see how much preparation goes into it. We ran through the script with the MC’s at least five times.

My fellow intern Felicity and I with our 'event crew' passes.

It was interesting to see the things that went wrong that you could simply never predict. During this event the wind picked up and blowing the balloon arch over and ants infested the media desk. It made me realise no matter how much you prepare something can always go wrong on the day that you hadn’t thought of. I guess now I have experienced those things going wrong I can prepare for them at future events. Note to self, always bring extra string and fly spray to an event.

Whitney

From intern to press conference MC

This morning started like any other day as a GO Communications (GO) intern. I read the paper for an hour or so, identifying and recording articles relevant to our client.

I had a bit of a spring in my step, as this afternoon I was to assist with a press conference being held for Product of the Year (POY) Malaysia. POY has been running for 26 years around the world, but this year is the first time it has run in Malaysia.

Click here for more information on Product of the Year Malaysia

My assignment for the afternoon was media registration. The media arrive, I take their card, ask them to sign in and give them a media pack. Simple enough, but I was just happy to be a part of the event and see how a press conference works.

The media arrived and I began to register them and direct them to the conference room. With the conference due to commence in 20 minutes, the Chief Operating Office of GO, Peter de Krester walked out of the conference room directly towards me and said;

“Whitney you are going to be the MC for this press conference”.

My automatic reaction was to reply “okay”. Soon after it sunk in that I would be pronouncing names completely foreign to me in front of media from Malaysia’s top newspapers, magazines and TV stations. In addition I had the added hurdle of my Australian accent. I would need to speak slowly, clearly and with as little accent as possible. I try to take every challenge and opportunity that comes my way. I think the best things happen when you're out of your comfort zone.

I began madly jotting down my script as it was dictated to me by Peter. With little time to practice, the next thing I knew I was in front of a microphone and 30 odd media and camera crew. I introduced the nights esteemed guests, explained the history of POY and managed media questions.

What an experience! As terrifying as it was, I am glad I was able to rise to the challenge, and very pleased I didn’t make any major mistakes.

During my PR career I am sure there will be many times I will need to think on my feet and make quick decisions. I guess this was a taster.

Whitney