It’s my second day at ANZ and I have to say IT’S FANTASTIC!
I was very nervous to begin with, I wanted to make a good impression.
However, I was greeted by my friendly manager, who said “How do you feel?” as I walked in the door.
“A little bit nervous”, I replied
“Why,” she said, “Talk to me”.
That simple sign of genuine concern was enough to calm my nerves, and make me trust her.
It wasn’t even 10am and I had already learnt one of the most important rules of the PR profession. Rule #1 Communication is so important. Through her concern for my wellbeing I began to trust her. Building trust is rule #2. It was great to see that these theories really are applicable in the workplace.
I was taken around for what I like to call ‘show and tell’ which basically involves getting a tour of the building and being introduced to a lot of people. Not only did I meet the people on my floor, but being such a big organisation, ANZ stretches over a few different levels, so as you can imagine the introductions took a while.
So now, I guess it’s time to tell you about my role. I am working in the events and sponsorships department. From what I understand, my department looks after all the big events that concern other smaller departments, even though they all have their own PR and marketing teams.
I was treated like a real employee from the word go. Not just a pleb that fetches people’s dry-cleaning or collects their coffee orders. I was given my own security pass, a desk (overlooking the river might I add!), a title (Events Coordinator) and my own jobs!
The things I have been given ownership of as my pet projects (which I’m happy to say I know how to do thanks to the PR 200 Techniques Unit) Include:
- Writing articles and formatting the Internal WA Newsletter ( Funnily Enough I have to do a profile of myself, but as though I’m not writing it).
- Writing articles for the International newsletter which gets delivered to Asia Pacific, Europe, America, New Zealand as well as Australia and
- Creating a running sheet for the Annual Economic Breakfast.
I wish there was a PR creative writing unit. I know that there is creative writing unit that is offered through humanities but I think it would be a good core unit.
I was also introduced to the brand-spanking-new ANZ Brand Guidelines. Some of you may know that ANZ recently changed their brand including website and logo. I had to read this document to make sure I was familiar with all the guidelines, including font type, size, spacing, logo and brand approval procedures etc. We are often told in class that PR is responsible for the reputation and image of a company, and brand guidelines and procedures are and important part of our responsibilities.
One of the new insights I have gained, is the importance of change management. Changing a company’s logo and website is a huge deal and if it’s not handled correctly it can confuse staff as well as customers, which can result in unhappy people. The PR department has some responsibility in ensuring that staff know how to use the brand guidelines correctly and that changes to the brand are communicated to the staff and customers.
I’ve learnt that a brand signifies what customers can expect from a product or service, thus if a brand changes, sometimes this may indicate to customers that the company’s products, services and values have changed. Hence, they may feel hesitant to continue their relationship with ANZ. A brand guideline ensures consistency of image and messages.
I could go on and on about my day, But I’ll stop here. I’ve learnt so much and it’s only the first day.
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