What a Success - Article Published!

Festival De Cannes is an annual event, were all film stars come together and celebrate the world of film and present awards. The work placement I am at in London is called, Chivas Brothers and Chivas Regal is the top selling whisky brand around the world and is their major brand. Chivas Regal sponsors this Film Festival and has done for three consecutive years now. They also sponsor FilmAid which is a global not-for-profit organisation that entertains and teacher’s children through the use of film. This event took place in May, however as I started my internship in June, I was unable to attend the event but was asked by the internal communications manager at Chivas Brothers to write an article about the success of the event. I also was asked to help evaluate the event by getting feedback from the celebrities that Chivas Regal invited and took care of during the event by providing them with the red carpet experience.  For more information on Festival De Cannes take a look at this link: http://www.festival-cannes.fr/en.html.

Here is another link: http://www.chivasbrothers.com/newsroom/news-area/news-detail.aspx?newsId=13383 . This is a Media Release written straight after the event, for you all to read, although I did not write this one it is still a good overview of how the event went.

Below is a picture taken at the Festival De Cannes in May:

FilmAid UK Chair Iliane Ogilvie Thompson, Chivas Regal Brand Director James Slack and Academy Award winning actor, Cuba Gooding Jr., celebrate FilmAid’s work in Cannes.

I was so excited to be given this opportunity to write my first real article, which will be published in an internal magazine and distributed to all employees that work at Chivas Brothers globally. For this article I had to research a lot, get in touch with a number of employees who attended the event and speak to James Slack (pictured above) about the event and Chivas Regal’s work with FilmAid. This was all necessary to avoid using incorrect information and to ensure all facts and quotes were accurate before I submitted it for publishing. I had to cross check details with my supervisor, who is the Head of PR at Chivas Brothers and once complete I proof read and also sent it to my supervisor to check over. 

Proof reading and cross checking is sooo important, I never understood it at uni when the lecturers went on about it, but now I fully understand its importance! There is nothing worse than getting told that you spelt something wrong in an important document. However I was OVER THE MOON when she gave me great positive feedback and only changed a couple of words! I then sent it off to the internal communications manager to edit and publish. She also loved my work and it is to be published in the next Salute (internal magazine) edition in August!

I have learnt a lot through the process of writing this article, one of the main points being that there is no 4 or 5 week notice to complete a task (like at uni), it is generally a weeks’ notice (if you’re lucky). I felt a little overwhelmed at first because I knew I only had a week to contact everyone that I needed and actually try to write a ‘professional’ article that will be submitted in a publication for the first time and seen by thousands of employees. Once I got my head around this, it was very fulfilling and exciting to complete, as the event was so huge and very interesting to find out how the whole red carpet process happens.

This week I also went to a creative thinking session with one of Chivas Regal’s clients John Doe, as some of the information discussed is confidential, I won’t discuss the PR and marketing concept created. However this was an all-day meeting that took place in central London at a creative thinking building called: Wallspace. The idea is to get the Chivas Regal team and PR team out of the office environment and into a room which is bright and is made for people to ‘think creatively’. This was such a great experience and I got to have some input into the upcoming PR campaign for Chivas Regal. –This was very different from anything I expected and I had never heard of such a place, but it was very cool to see.

As I mentioned in my first blog, I have also been creating documents each week which collate all the relevant weekly press cuttings which I send out to all employees to keep informed on the company news and industry.

Hope everyone else’s interns are going well- Can’t believe it will all be over so soon!

Gemma O’Hart

One Door Closes and a Window Opens

I am at the end of my internship at Platform Communications. My time at Platform has taught me a lot about public relations and myself. My first day was a lot to take in and I didn’t quite know how I would cope. I was thrown in the deep end straight away and I only had two options; sink or swim. While at times I felt I was struggling to keep my head above water, I persevered with determination, initiative and constant reassurance from my supervisor and I can safely say that I was able to swim at Platform Communications. Entering a consultancy firm was a world away from sitting in a classroom learning the skill sets needed and the dos and don’ts of public relations. I was unsure of how I would cope with the fast paced office but I was able to keep up most times and as much as I thought I would never say this, I honestly felt lost when the workload quietened down at times. That being said, I came to appreciate the ‘slow times’ in the office even though there was still a constant flow of work to do.

I gained invaluable experience and advice from my supervisor and Platform’s director. They assisted me during tasks when I needed help and were there when I needed guidance whether it was work-related, uni-related or just to talk to about the never ending problem of getting the work/uni/life balance right. I have learnt to write job briefs and design briefs for the design and communication team to communicate and aid them in understanding what the client wants to deliver a high-quality end product. I was able to work on a range of tasks including newsletters, invitations, conference booths and promotional giveaways, annual reports, media lists, contact lists, website audits and system reviews while being exposed to a number of clients.

From my internship I learnt the following lessons:

1.       Communication between all departments in the workplace is essential for success.

2.       Communication with the client is essential to keep the client happy and up-to-date with the progress of their jobs.

3.       Time management, organisational skills and multi-tasking are essential skills to possess when working in public relations especially consultancy.

4.       Patience because there will be many times when you will be frustrated.

5.       Taking the time to research or read a document to understand a task which will help you to perform the task to the best of your ability and to a high-standard.

6.       Using your initiative to be ahead of the client, project manager and director.

7.       Thinking outside of the box is necessary in order to be creative but sometimes you need help from your colleagues to brainstorm ideas.

8.       Meeting deadlines is crucial as it can affect your company’s reputation.

9.       Be on time for client meetings – their time is important and it is vital to maintain a good impression.

10.   Always proof read your work whether it be an email, design brief, fact sheet or annual report.

My internship door at Platform has closed but a window of opportunity has opened. I was offered a Junior Communications Consultant position by Platform which I have accepted. While I will be cutting down my time at Platform over the next few weeks due to my workload at uni, I will be commencing my full-time position in June.  I enjoyed my time at Platform including the highs, the lows, the pressure and the wonderful team that I will be continuing to work with in the future. The future looks bright, there is still much to be learned and I’m looking forward to it.

Meaghan King

Curtin Bentley