The End (or not!)

This week brings to a close my internship term as required by the PR393 module. As I have applied for a six-month internship at Fleishman-Hillard (FH) Singapore, I will be reporting back at work still, on Monday. While I already am longing for a nice long break, I recognize that this is only the very start of my career in public relations, making me determined to continue to work hard and learn the most from my peers.

Summing up my eight-week stint so far, there is only one thing I have to say – hard work pays. Being super diligent is often not enough. Everything that you pick up should be done with more than 120% of your effort, because ultimately, doing well would of course earn you an impressive appraisal, but more importantly, announces your own “reputation” as a worker in the field.

It is obvious, especially in an agency context to know how good a consultant is. He or she is the one winning new pitches for the company, servicing satisfied clients and earning awards for the firm. Though it is often more of a team effort, individuals do shine from time to time. These people earned my utmost respect. I’m sure that all of you, after completing your own internships, would agree that it takes a lot to do really well – the accounts servicing work demands attention to the nitty-gritty, yet requires an overlooking perspective at the same time. I aspire to master the skill of doing so in all my years ahead.

I have also learned through the course of this internship that PR issues raised in class are indeed real. I often thought that theory would not relate that much to what happens in the real world because there is simply no textbook answer to anything at all in life. The events and activities that I have experiences in the duration of my internship now make me think otherwise. I thank the kind staff at Curtin for ensuring that at least I am aware of most issues and not taking steps in the dark.

To all that are just only sourcing for their placements for the next semester, I wish you luck, and hope that all that we have shared these past weeks have helped in your anticipation to start. Keep in mind that HARD WORK PAYS and in the end, you will find that is rewarding in all ways indeed.

Thank you all once again and I wish you well.

Adieus, Amigos!

It Was A Close Shave...

OH WOW. What a week! This week has been the most eventful yet! I’m so excited to share this with all of you. During the past three days, I had a taste of what its like in a real-life CRISIS! It equates scanning newswires and all other media every five minutes while hearing exasperated yells coming from the general direction of the other side of the office.

I must say it really was intense! Let me give you some clues about what it was about. It was about a video of an Unidentified Furry Object found lurking around an “Ulu” road at 2am in the morning, and igniting fear amongst some locals, then later found to be only a guerilla marketing campaign tactic. I’m sure my classmates in Singapore will know exactly what I’m talking about! It’s caused so much controversy, that it’s silly! (Kudos for making it to front pages, though.) As the news continues to spread via newswires and goes global, more and more things have to be done in terms of crisis management.

Some of the things we did were to first and foremost release letter to apologies to the media, and to clarify that it was indeed just a guerilla marketing campaign. Then came the answering of media queries and waiting to see which side the news will swing. Those more senior may agree with me that nothing beats the excitement of anticipating news.

I watched the office buzz with activity and learned the reason why our lecturers are constantly talking about crises and how PR could make or break such situations. Through this, I also found that the best way to “learn” PR is really by experiencing it yourself.

On the topic of application of PR theory, another thought surfaces. Take a trip back in time and remember Dr. Nigel DeBussy or Mr. James Suresh during the first couple of lessons of PR (Principles) 201. The Agenda-Setting Theory was discussed, illustrating the power of the media in influencing the thoughts of the masses. This case is a perfect example.

Right now, as the long, long week draws to a close (finally!), with our fingers crossed, we wait and hope for the best.

Office-chair Travelers

Hurrah! It’s been another two weeks! And busy ones at that! Last week, I packed by very first press kit! It was an awesome experience. My team was going to do a media drop at the main media houses in Singapore. We were pitching for our client’s accessories range and adopted a travel theme for the event. So, we packed the press kits into luggage! It was a rattan one, like summer travel back in the day. Inside, there was shampoos and lotions, as well as face masks to pamper the “travelers”. Of course, also included was the press kit, accompanying the product. Here’s a photo of the luggage!

I have to admit, I was rather impressed by the idea. I did not know that press kits could literally come in all shapes and sizes and that it was all up to the imagination to stand out. Now, all we can do is hope that our media colleagues were just as impressed; impressed enough to grant us some coveted coverage.

Another interesting event that happened this past two weeks was that there was a sudden influx of activities in the region. Apparently, this is the season where the great leaders of the corporate like to converge, drink tea and have a little chat. At last count, there was one regional roundtable, one company vision announcement, one major acquisition and a couple of other announcements within the span of two weeks. So, in the PR seat, we have about five separate reports to write and plenty of follow-ups to do. It really shows that PR is not all glitz and glamour all the time, but really involves a lot of hard work.

I must also say that PR is intriguing. Even now, nearly four weeks into my internship, I’m still finding out really cool stuff, things that can never be taught in a classroom. This is a great opportunity and to those who will be taking PR393 next semester, I assure you, plenty awaits you at your desk.

Public Relations on a Sunny Little Island

Hello All!

To begin, my name is Samantha Ng, and I’m from the sunny little island lying off the southernmost tip of the Malay Peninsula, best known to the world as Singapore. The best thing is, my office is right at that southern tip! We’ve got an amazing view of the sun and the sea, plus all the cruise ships that come and go. The beautiful moving canvas helps to relieve the stress of hard work.

So it’s been two, almost three weeks since I’ve started my internship at Fleishman-Hillard Singapore. Fleishman-Hillard is currently one of the world’s largest public relations agencies, with about 80 offices worldwide. It provides public relations services for a wide range of industries, like technology, consumer lifestyle, finance and even healthcare.

I decided to take up a six-months program with them, as I see golden opportunities in public relations and wish to fully immerse myself in the working environment and culture I feel only agencies can share. For the period of my internship, I am posted to the Technology team.

One of the first works I was tasked to do was to prepare a Christmas Gift Guide for the media, featuring a selection of products from our client. I had to complete this from scratch, with only last year’s guide as reference. It was an interesting task, as it is not one of the more conventional public relations tools that we were introduced to at school. I also find that tweaking the products to suit each occasion helps in pitching and ultimately, coverage, as there is relevance.

Besides that, I also had to work on drafting media invites and electronic direct mailers (EDM) to upcoming events, preparation of press kits, as well as call-downs to follow-up on potential coverage. As my team works on regional accounts as well, I also assisted in preparing press releases, on top of regional versions of the aforementioned.

I have come to realize in my course of study that “public relations” and “ethics” often appear in the same paragraph. The biggest issue I feel that has the most implication on ethics is time entry. I think that overcharging a client is commonly an issue commonly faced in agencies all over the world. This is because it is done mostly at each practitioner’s discretion. Most agencies, like mine, have it under control, however, by constant guidance by superiors.

All in all, I am enjoying my internship tremendously and I hope for many more interesting tasks to come.

Stay tuned!
Samantha Ng
Singapore