Well… by week four of my internship I had well and truly had
a taste of PR and crammed a lot into my final week.
One of our property development clients had been interested
in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives for a while but didn’t
feel like they knew enough about the benefits or return on investment (ROI) to
commit to long-term projects or events. I was given the task of finding facts,
figures and case studies relevant to our clients industry.
I always find the topic of CSR really interesting; it seems
to be a major argument point in the business industry, marketing industry and
specifically Public Relations Industry. My first assignment at University was
for Communication in Business. I had to report on CSR based campaigns that
received both positive and negative reactions and report on stakeholder
involvement, since then I have also conducted an assignment for Corporate PR
that analysed a current issue and how companies get involved through CSR. That particular assignment had me really interested as Ben & Jerry’s were our key focus and they have a lot of different CSR
campaigns and initiatives.
When conducting research for my companies’ client, I
followed a series of similar processes to my Uni assignments. First checking
databases for journal articles and case reports on CSR campaigns in Asia and
property development and then expanding into the UK and the States. I came
across a few articles that reflected on ROI and potential correlation to profit
increases when CSR was activated, however it was really hard to find hard facts
that proved this. I decided to focus my facts on the other positive outcomes
involved in CSR like brand recognition, brand awareness, creation and adaption of
companies’ corporate culture, goodwill and positive word of mouth. I found out
about some really interesting campaigns. One English property developer conducted
a CSR campaign where staff and CEO’s slept on the streets with homeless people
to obtain an understanding of being homeless and then conducted fundraising
events to raise money for homeless shelters and better housing conditions.
My report was submitted to my team and combined with some
ideas and pitches to kick start our clients’ first CSR campaign. Only time will tell what type of approach our client will take.
I don't think words could express how much I have taken out of my Internship at Go Communications and I definitely can't wait to see what my career in PR will bring.
I don't think words could express how much I have taken out of my Internship at Go Communications and I definitely can't wait to see what my career in PR will bring.
Until next time,
Hannah
