Second Shift; First project to tackle

On the second day of my internship I was assigned a new task, Research (which I had never expected to be so time consuming and difficult). For several shifts at my internship, a majority of my day would be spent on research for a upcoming project Linc had planned to action.The project was to create an online portal or magazine, that offers services, products and content that would be related to the over 50’s and who we also call the “Baby Boomers”.

The project was solely targeted at baby boomers, which are not only the wealthiest and most willing to spend generation but baby boomers also make up for  majority of the Australian society. Another reason to invest time on baby boomers was that from previous research, it was shown that although it is known that this market segment are willing to pay and invest for goods not much marketing and advertising is targeted at them although they are becoming more internet savvy and increasing the usage of the world wide web.

The research I had to conduct was based solely on researching Australian bloggers preferably from Western Australia that had blogs with information that would attract the attention to these over 50's. The topics could range from current affairs, sports, finance , travel , health and wellbeing, life and style and events. The key focus was to ensure the content on the blogs are information that the over 50's would find beneficial and would want to have access and use on a regular basis.

Whilst researching, I had to ensure that my target market could relate to the content. For instance, I wouldn't suggest a blogger who focuses on the nightlife scene of Perth such as clubbing or the latest bars to my target market. Instead I would suggest bloggers that would discuss topics such as the latest or the types of fine wines in Perth wine industry. These kind of topics would be more relevant to my target market and would be of interest to them.

Through my research, I was briefed alot on how to understand clients and to always think from the clients perspective. In other words to always think outside the box especially when it comes to researching for the target. I also learnt the essentials of keyword searching when using the world wide web. With this project I learnt alot especially the copious amount of research needed for each project and how it wasnt just a one day type of task. It could take up to days, weeks and maybe even months. I also learnt how valuable time is for a Public Relation consultant, considering how they are paid by time.

Internship Adventures: Mission accomplished!

It is the end of semester and I recently submitted a draft of the PR report to my supervisor. When I attended the report writing workshop with Ali a few weeks ago, I was taken aback by the thick reports from past semesters. I felt terrible that the work I undertook will not amount to a thick report like the ones I saw. However, reflecting back to the public relations efforts I put into this internship, research played an integral role. Conducting research took a lot of time but enabled me to produce, in my opinion, a high quality media release and information to my supervisor for his meeting with the Premier. 

Since I work from home or university, I did not spend much time in the company. Rather, communication was mostly done via email and weekly or fortnightly meetings with my supervisor. I must say my supervisor did invite me to work at the office whenever I wanted to. However I thought I could do more at university or home so decided against that. Besides, most staff work from home and I felt awkward to be there without anyone else. Fun fact: staff work from home to cut back on energy consumption at the office! 

I think I have managed to apply the public relations theory I have learned over the course of two years into practice. It is wonderful that I worked for a company who has similar ideals as I do. Being energy-wise s something everyone should think about at least once because taking care of our natural surrounding is, I think, one of the main reasons we were put on Earth. Moreover, having experienced it first-hand, energy building designs makes for comfortable living that is also responsible towards the environment. 

This blogs concludes my log of the Internship Adventures as I like to call it. I hope all of you enjoyed your placements and got a lot out of it. Most importantly, good luck and best wishes for a successful public relations profession! Also, enjoy that road to your individual successes. And remember, Winston Churchill was right in saying, “kites rise highest against the wind, not with it. So keep at it and success is inevitable!

I cannot stress the importance of research enough!

As mentioned in my previous post, my supervisor and I agreed that a few media relations activities will be beneficial for Wise Earth Pty Ltd’s architecture and urban design and solar education and information entities being Ecotect-Architects and Solar-e respectively. 

 

The main activity will be media releases issued to community and The West Australian newspapers regarding the outcome of a recent meeting with WA Premier Colin Barnett. The meeting was between Mr Baverstock and the Premier to discuss the environmental implications of the proposed Local Planning Scheme 3 for the Cottesloe beach foreshore redevelopment. 

I was given the task of equipping Mr Baverstock with more information regarding climate change, beachfront erosion, sea level rise and overshadowing of the beach. This brings me to the challenges and “real life” experience of the internship.  

Throughout my public relations education at university, I have read countless articles and books on perfecting the function of public relations within an organisation. One of the themes that is ever-present is given a lot of importance is research, thorough research. Knowing that I work at an environmentally sustainable enterprise, I had to conduct primary and secondary research into a number of things. Of course, I kick-started my researching by attempting to understand renewable energy and the advantages of energy efficient building design, all of which were central to the company. 

Come to think of it, did you know the largest wind turbine which is located in Hawaii is 20 stories tall and has blades the length of a football field, and solar passive home designs promote optimum living temperatures while being environmentally responsible? This information was stumbled upon while doing secondary research. 

And now for the fun part- primary research! Armed with an audio recorder and a couple of closed and open-ended questions I went to Cottesloe beach and asked questions to anyone and everyone who wanted to talk to me. The questions were mainly about their views about Cottesloe beach an whether or not they wanted the redevelopment to go ahead according to the proposed Local Planning Scheme 3.