Re-learning the basics: Finding PR in an advertising company

My office Desk at FCB Cread & Co Ltd

The good news is I have finally manage to complete my first week of internship. The bad news there is no Public Relations department present and I have no experience in marketing as to speak. 

This was the tale of my first day of my internship which was apparently dull and uneventful in regards to Public Relations experience.

The next day I get to do a translation, trying to understand the language technicality use in the company and the various words use for commercial applications

Shortly after I am ask to do some media monitoring, ask to contribute in a media plan, ask to participate in the media advert booking and participate in the proof-reading and text correction before sending it to the company client.

How is that related to Public Relations one may wonder? 

In fact it does not but it helps to applied the discipline knowledge acquire during Public Relations Practice classes.  As Media planning, media monitoring, media booking at some point, proof-reading and validation are fundamental concept of Public Relations officer daily routine. 

So how is the internship related to Public relations?

"Excellence is not an act but a habit." - Aristotle

Apart from discipline knowledge, it is hidden, like if it is playing hide and seek throughout the various department of the Advertising Company.

The luck that I have is the FCB Cread & Co Ltd is a communication and advertising company which is among the top 3 best agencies in Mauritius in its industry. They are very well equip and also have a small staff dedicated staff that are very generous as to speak in terms of providing help or provide knowledge.

One of the most obvious PR related works is copy-writing in this company from translation of brief of client to a comprehensible formatted document, to script writing for adverts, radio commercial, radio messages, Television spot, Thematic ideas, Facebook post, blog post and website update. The copywriter job in the company does not end there, there are newsletter, annual reports, Brochures and flyers all waiting the copywriter to write for them, from small story to formal writing, it requires a certain level of dexterity and knowledge of the client activity.

So what did you do then?

My first work was to convert a commercial email into a formatted document, a little research and put to use the knowledge of segmenting stakeholders or publics later, I have created a detail document that the company can use by other staff members like designers, copywriters from the creative and design department, strategic marketing development department and highlight the misunderstanding point that the email may have. 

From this small document, I was able to participate to the naming of the product to be design and have 3 potential names that the client may choose from and develop a potential theme for each, writing a small storytelling experience about them and learn to implement it into the integrated marketing mechanics.

Newspaper storage

Yes, my internship may not be like the other students and to be directly integrated in a Public relations department but I am grateful enough to realise that Public relations is not only what one may have imagine to be. 

One thing is that have strike me the most is how advertising clients completely disregard the work of the integrated marketing process and how public relations in Mauritius is not view as an avenue for promotion tool or as a means for publicity.


It is present in every communication department from Visual literacy, design, copy-writing, planning, negotiating with clients or the media and with the task of Key Account officer I have manage to re-learn the basics of Public relations.