The Perfect Blend

So it’s now my very last week at PPR and as I sit and write this, all I can think about is where has the time gone?! In theory, a month sounds like a long time but in the fast paced world of PR, I’ve rapidly come to learn that it isn’t.

In my third week at PPR, I spent a lot of time on the road, delivering invitations for an event on behalf of a client. At the time I treated this as a bit of respite from all the work that I still have left to do but with only 2 days remaining to get it all done – I’m now working to a very tight deadline.

 At the end of the week I was also given the task of helping one of the account managers put together a credentials document for the firm. I was given this task based on my ability to write and to perform under a tight deadline, which was definitely the confidence boost I had been searching for. As you might recall from my previous blog entry, my second week at PPR was a tough one in terms of my confidence and belief in my ability to write but undertaking this task has given me a chance to resurrect myself. I got to work on the task immediately by compiling some relevant case studies, which will all be included in the publication and wrote a succinct synopsis of each one. Part of this task will also involve me proofreading the account manager’s work to ensure that there are no spelling mistakes or other grammatical errors. Though I have never edited anyone’s work in a professional capacity, I have nonetheless chosen to embrace this task as yet another opportunity for me to learn and acquire those much-needed editing skills, pertinent to a successful career in PR.

Another aspect that I really love about this task is that to me, it is the perfect blend of both sides of my degree, as not only am I writing for a professional publication, but I am also helping this PR firm carry out its own PR. This fusion of public relations and professional writing has definitely demonstrated how well the two degrees go together and how skills from each are sometimes necessary for performing tasks in this industry.

I am looking forward to this final week and I can’t wait to reflect on what has definitely been an exciting, frightening, educational and enlightening month at PPR.

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