Lifechanging experiences

I have now completed four weeks of my internship at GO Communications in Malaysia. This placement has not only taught me about public relations, but it has given me a whole new experience in another culture. I have been “thrown in the deep end” on more than one occasion at events and even in the office. I believe by completely leaving my comfort zone I have been given an opportunity to grow and improve my skills at a fast pace. It has been a challenging yet rewarding four weeks, I have learnt professional and social skills that I believe will benefit me in my future career. I was also able to make new friends along the way. I appreciate the opportunity Curtin University and GO Communications gave me. I was able to gain an insight and understanding of how the skills we have learnt at university can be used in our public relations careers on a day-to-day basis. This firsthand experience has also allowed me to shape an opinion on working in a consultancy. I have enjoyed the chance to work on multiple projects for multiple clients, it definitely mixes it up a little in the office! It was sad to say goodbye to GO Communications, but I look forward to using the lessons I have learnt along the way in my future career.

 

If you ever get the chance to work or intern overseas, GO for it!

Writing for Malaysian editors.

After the first two weeks of doing media calls and participating in events with GO Communications, it was time to do some writing. My leader gave me the task of writing an invitation to the minister for an event called LumiAir for our client Sunway Lagoon. I was able to use a template of previous invitations so this task wasn’t too challenging. However, I was then given the opportunity to draft a media release for another client, Sunway Lagoon.  As I have written many media releases for university, I felt comfortable with this task so I used the information available and put together a media release highlighting the key points of the new promotion Sunway Lagoon had to offer. I kept the information factual and to the point as we are taught in university and only put emotion and descriptions in the quotes. However, once I had looked at the template of how media releases were written in Malaysia I noticed a significant difference. The template had a lot more "fluff" and describing words. Therefore, I edited my draft and put some additional describing words into the media release.

My leader told me “the Malaysian editors are lazy, they want you to write the article for them, with all the descriptive ‘fluff’". I was taught to use extra adjectives and emotion in my writing to make it sound more like “PR”.   

I took this as a learning experience as I had to change the way I would normally write media releases to how it is expected in Malaysia. This could be applied for any consultancy I may work for in the future as they may have a specific in-house way of writing too.

 

Until next time,

Jessie

Becoming a guru in 45 minutes – adapting your research and writing skills to connect with your client’s publics.

As I’ve mentioned in my previous posts and as I’m sure you’re all familiar with, working in PR can mean creating a run-of-the-mill media release one second to running around town to find a unique place-setting for an event the next; the work is ever-changing and one has to adjust quickly. Essentially, you are an octopus trying to pull together your resources and knowledge to satisfy client demands in a timely and satisfactory manner. This particularly rings true when you’re trying to reach out to people on a topic you yourself are not familiar with.

I’ve found the topics and clients I write for at GO vary greatly. Being a consultancy that aims to cover all bases of PR (issues management, CSR, rebranding, events etc), the scope of our clients was understandably broad. The diversity of clients meant I had to change my writing skills to suit their company profile and stakeholders (e.g. corporate, conversational, critical etc) as well as often having to become well-versed and knowledgeable in their core competencies and the messages they wanted to communicate.

In my first major writing piece, I had to write an article about cyber-security that would be sent out to thousands of clients in an e-newsletter. The company dealt primarily with complex computer software, but periodically wanted to send out updates in laymen’s terms so their clients could stay up-to-date and the client would remain relevant in their customers’ minds. 

My supervisor asked me to have the piece researched and written, and sent back to her in an hour. Eep. Not only am I a complete noob in anything beyond Microsoft Office, I wanted to prove my worth in my first major output so I would continue to receive writing work. My mind flickers to the Albert Einstein quote:

“If I had an hour to solve a problem I'd spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and 5 minutes thinking about solutions.”

To apply this to the piece that lay in front of me, I spent the next 45 minutes researching current cyber-security threats and risks to the average user. Four years at uni and countless research assignments have taught me how to filter through the unnecessary information and how to highlight what is actually relevant to one’s needs. The foundational PR classes that really honed in on the basic tenets of writing and tried to nurture our transcribing skills also gave me a confidence boost; I could interpret my findings to suit the necessary context and power out a report in 15 minutes. N.B. I’m also convinced Malaysian Red Bull is considerably stronger!

I initially felt somewhat hypocritical giving advice to customers on a subject I am completely unfamiliar with, however I was reassured when my supervisor and the client came back happy. The basis for the recommendations were of course of upmost importance, but being able to translate the information to a language which the targeted public would understand and respond to is one of the most challenging and enjoyable doctrines of PR.

It has been a whirlwind four weeks; in between working 9+ hour days, pushing my writing and creative skills, and experiencing first-hand the ups and downs of working in a consultancy, Hannah and I also tried to squeeze in as much as we could into the rest of our Malaysia experience. Weekends were spent in Highlands clinging to dear life as we faced impending doom in a skylift (or at least that’s what it felt like), tasting the most amazing cuisines that emerged from the unification of three distinct but cohesive cultures, and hanging out in one of the coolest, culturally rich cities I’ve ever been to. 

I hope you’ve all enjoyed your internships as much as I did mine and I wish you all the best with your future endeavours.

Until next time!

Building rapport with journalists.. a challenging but necessary ‘evil’?

As I became more accustomed with email and phone protocol, I was tasked with making media coverage and event follow-up calls to local Malaysian media. Initially I was nervous as I thought back to PR Media 250 classes, where we were reminded time and time again about the importance of forming and nurturing relationships with the media to the benefit of your reputation as a PR professional, having your work covered, and getting in touch with the people in the know-how. So I took these calls as a good starting position to begin forming these bonds; albeit our time in Malaysia was limited, you never know when or where having these contacts could come in handy.

I was off to a bit of a rocky start; I had a huge list of media contacts from both digital and conventional media I needed to reach out to to see if they would be interested in featuring a travel article we prepared for our client Tourism Victoria. Immediately it was clear that my funny Australian accent and inability to speak Bahasa or any form of Chinese was a hindrance. Often I would be palmed off to different departments so that I could become someone else’s ‘issue’, and one call ended with an angry Chinese reporter screaming ‘Learn Chinese!’ before hanging up the phone. At this point I was really regretting taking Japanese lessons instead of Chinese.

Over time however, I came to understand the best way to address people in different media outlets, whether they preferred to have a chat first or get straight into business, and who the best person was to speak to when trying to gain coverage. Some editors even remembered who I was when I called, and their attitudes to publishing and receiving work from us thereafter increased substantially.

Though this ongoing task was often quite draining (numerous rejections, unfriendly responses etc), it was excellent practise for building these necessary relations, but also proved beneficial to myself and GO. I was able to scout new platforms in up and coming blogs through some of the journalists I spoke to, which have since been added to GO's media database as contacts for future media coverage. Coincidentally, I also met one of the journalists I had been speaking with at our Amethyst Restaurant launch. She went on to invite me to a Google Offices tour with her and we have maintained contact since! The foundations that were laid through the phone calls and conversations allowed for easy and enjoyable networking in reality.

The main points I’ve been able to draw from this relationship building with the media is:

-          Be patient. It was more often than not I was trying to get them to cover my story, than them trying to get something from me. They also receive hundreds of these calls and media releases each day, so their response (if any) will seldom be immediate.

-          Stay relevant. A follow-up call or email may be just the prompt they need. Suggest meeting with them to grab a coffee to catch-up, or if your relationship is already somewhat established, to share with them a big scoop. There’s a difference between being helpful and being pesky however, so use your judgement and generally allow a few days after your initial contact before asking for an update on their interest.

-          Become familiar with the rest of the team, not just the editor. I found I was able to reach important and more pertinent sources when I was friendly with the junior stuff and personal assistants. Their willingness to help you will skyrocket if you acknowledge their importance in the team, and they’ll more likely put you through to who you want to be reaching. 

Until next time, everyone!

Value of Information: The Importance of Knowing

When I was attending to my internship, one of my duties is to monitor the media's publications. Having said that, these publication types can range from prints to broadcasts disclosures. When I first started my internship at LEWIS PR Malaysia, I was not aware of the importance media monitoring. At times, I even missed several coverages in regards to my lacking of attention to details. I have always questioned such a task, I mean, why is it so important to know? Personally, I am not a person who would pry into others' business. Therefore, it was really hard for me to need to know about competitors and the trends in the industry.

On the other hand, I am familiar with the importance of knowing your clients' scope of operations. I mean, it is only rational to know your clients in order to succeed in pitching to them any PR plan you have devised. I mean, that is one of the important attempts that brings bread to the table. When I was brought to a pitch meeting with Samsung, I finally realised how important it is to know what your clients' competitors are doing and the trends that are shaping the industry with which your clients are operating in. 

My manager was the one pitching to the client and she was asked a lot of questions. She turned to me occasionally for information that she did not have as I was supporting her in monitoring the media. We were asked about Samsung's competitors and of course the evolving trends of smartphone technology. By then, I finally realised that you need to know not only about your clients' competitors, the trends in the industry is just as important as well. 

After the pitch with Samsung, I dissected and digested the entire pitch interview and have drawn several conclusions from it. With that said, I believe that if you have the information at your disposal with regards to the industry, you can then devise a PR plan that is much more competitive than what competitors are doing. These competitors include the companies that your clients are competing against and the consultancies that your company are pitching against. When you present a competitive plan to your clients, naturally, they are bound to accept your proposal if it is better than the ones your competitors are presenting. 

To make it easier, put yourself in your clients' shoes, think about what you would like to see and hope to achieve over your competitors. I believe this can be related to commitment and empathy as well. In this case, after putting myself in my client's (Samsung) shoes, I thought of wanting to gain a competitive advantage over Nokia, Apple, Hua Wei, and other smartphone providers. With this in mind, I can then effectively come up with a PR plan that is competitive, taking into consideration what the competitors are doing. In a way, this promotes confidence in your clients which guarantees your pitching success over your competitors. 

To sum up, after the pitching experience, I started following media publications closely in order to avoid missing any crucial information. At the same time, this is to keep myself updated with the happenings in the industry. 

I have added additional articles for you to read at your convenience with regards to my post. 

I hope what I have written is useful for you and thank you so much for your time.

Have a pleasant day ahead.

Adrian.

Additional Articles

1. 5 Traps You Have To Avoid When Pitching Bold Ideas

2. 7 reasons why your agency pitch doesn't work

3. Good PR is the Careful Balance of Confidence and Empathy

4. Top tips for a perfect pitch

5. The seven secrets to pitching to new clients

   

PR on the Go: Where flexibility and responsiveness come into play

When I was working at LEWIS PR Malaysia, I was involved in a couple of events, notably a press conference organised for Alere Health and a product launch for Samsung's Galaxy S5. To being with, before each event, a meeting will be held in order to have the staffs run through the running sheet and agendas for the respective events. Do you remember the running sheets that you were asked to construct in class and for your assignments? This is no different from it. In the meeting, the flow of the event was discussed and participants were asked to familiarise themselves with the agendas for the event.

For Alere Health's press conference, I was tasked to register the media upon arrival, present the media kit to the guests, and direct them to the conference room. Despite having my responsibilities clearly outlined, unforeseen circumstances did appear. Before the initiation of the press conference, the name cards for the spokespeople were inaccurately printed. Upon witnessing this issue, my manager instructed me to get it fixed right away. 

In relation to my first blog post, I mentioned that LEWIS PR Malaysia was made up of four employees, including me as an intern. We were lacking of human resources back then; therefore, I had to run all the way to the printing service provider to get it amended. While I was away from my duties, my Accounts Director had to fill in for my responsibilities in registering the media. It took everybody's effort in controlling the issue. Having said that, personally, I find it confusing to deviate from my responsibilities. I then thought about it, if I did not get the name cards fixed, would it affect the company's reputation in the eyes of the client (Alere Health) and the guests (media and spokespeople)? 

I then came to a conclusion that as the client pays you for your PR services, it is critical for you to deliver qualitative service with regards to the amount that is paid to you. The corporate reputation is not only at stake, but the relationships shared with the client and the guests are also being questioned. After that experience, I start to see PR practitioners in a different way, for the better of course. From that day onwards, I start to recognise PR people as "Super Workers" who have the competence level in dealing with unforeseen circumstances and are always on the go. I mean, I personally do not think it is easy to "think on one's feet" and to deviate from one's duties when faced with a crisis unless you have the relevant experience in handling such cases.   

Apart from that, everything went well and the press conference was a success. Effort was well paid off from the media calling, registration, and fixing of the issue. On top of that, I received several contact cards from the media. It was a great experience as I got to network with the media and witness how PR is represented in the Malaysian landscape. 

Thank you so much for taking your time in reading through this and I look forward to keep you updated.

Till then, have a pleasant day ahead.

Adrian. 

The Art of Media Calling: Challenges and Key Learnings

It is no surprise to many that one of the challenging tasks assigned to a Public Relations practitioner is to maintain media relations. When I was at LEWIS PR Malaysia, I was tasked to call up the media for several reasons. The objectives behind media calls are to ensure the master media database for internal use is up-to-date, to secure a confirmation of invitational reception, and to acquire an indication of an RSVP for any corporate activities. 

As easy as it may sound, I find it really challenging at times to get in touch with the media in order to accomplish the tasks that I was allocated with. It was a learning curve for me to juggle between priorities such as who to call first and who to call later, taking into consideration of the deadlines given by my managers. By calling the media, I learnt that there is a "perfect time" in a day to call certain publications in order to get through to the person you intend to talk to. From my experience, I have came up with a few time slots that I believe are ideal in getting in touch with the media in Malaysia. 

1. Magazine Publishers - Between 10.30am - 12.00pm
2. Newspaper Publishers - Between 2.00pm - 4.30pm and 5.30pm - 6.30pm
3. TV Broadcasters - At around 11.00am and at about 4.00pm

Taking the ideal time slots in mind, not only was I able to get in touch with the media effectively, but I was also able to establish positive relations with the media.

Additionally, being patient is also just as important as calling the media at a good time. When I was calling the media to get a confirmation of receipt and RSVP for Samsung Galaxy S5's product launch, I was able to talk to people with different personalities. These personalities can range from kind and friendly approaches to feisty and agitated responses. Although a time frame was there functioning as a guide, at times, you might be calling the media at an unfavourable time. The key approach to a negative response is to be patient and to put yourself in the media's shoes. In other words, you need to understand that the media has got duties to attend to as well. At the same time, this does not mean you need to take a bullet yourself. It was hard for me at first, but in the lapse of time, I was able to get the confirmations and updates I needed in order to accomplish the duties I was tasked to achieve. 

Thirdly, it is crucial for you to humanise your approach in order to get a feedback out of individual willingness. In other words, you would have to be friendly when calling the media, just as how you would talk to your mates. Having said that, you would have to make an effort in remembering names and details about the person whom you have talked to. Thus, not only you can achieve your objectives, but you can also establish and maintain positive media relations. A friend of mine from Edelman whom I met at an award giving ceremony once gave me this important tip has helped me in many situations. With these in mind, I usually get positive responses from the media in regards to achieving my objectives at hand.

To sum up, the art of media calling has been an interesting learning curve for me as an intern and I am glad to have acquired multiple key learnings from the opportunity provided by the course unit. I have also provided you with a few articles that I believe to be helpful and relevant with regards to managing media relations. 

Thank you so much for your time and have a pleasant day ahead.

Adrian.     

Articles

1. Is media relations still the most important part of PR?
2. Why media relations is important
3. The Importance of Interpersonal Communication in Media Relations
4. The Role of Media Relations
5. Importance of Media Relations for your Business

Jaded by Hofstede’s Cultural Dimension: The Role of Power Distance

Before starting off in the Public Relations industry in Malaysia, I made up my mind only to apply for an opportunity at PR consultancies in the country. Not long after my application was sent in, I received a call from the Talent Manager confirming my position as an intern at LEWIS PR Malaysia. Headquartered in the UK, LEWIS PR is a consultancy that focuses on communication in technological sector.

LEWIS PR Malaysia was built approximately a year ago, because of this, the company is lacking of manpower and relevant facilities still. With that said, I worked at the Malaysian office with an Account Director and with two Account Managers. LEWIS PR Malaysia consists of four of us in its entirety.

Personally, I find it quite daunting to share an office with my director and managers, as they can be quite intimidating. I was once told that I should set a boundary in between my manager and myself. She claimed that I was being “too friendly.” What is wrong with being friendly with your manager? I personally do not see anything wrong with it as I had been there for nearly two months, it would be odd to not even know whom you are working with.

Subsequently, I took that as a learning curve in a positive manner, thinking that time will change everything. I believe Hofstede’s Cultural Dimension theory that I have learnt in International Public Relations supports this situation. I mean, because Malaysia possesses a high power distance, the organisational structure at LEWIS PR Malaysia is hierarchical in nature. In other words, what you do and what you think are assessed in an unfavourable angle unless you have a prominent role in the company and extensive past experiences to support your credibility, not leaving out the “recognition” that you are expected to give to your managers and director.

In short, going through such an experience really opened up my eyes as I never knew that what I learnt in class could play such an important in the PR industry. It may have not turned out well, but I believe I have learnt a few things from it.

I have also attached a few articles that I find interesting to read in relevance to my post. Thank you so much for your time and have a pleasant day ahead.

Articles

1. Hofstede’s Cultural Constructs and PR
2. Global PR and cultural dimensions

Truly Embracing CSR

Miri Marriott’s (CSR) Christmas Wish Tree project came to an end last Friday. After 3 months of preparation, we delivered all 442 gifts/money donated by guests, associates and friends of Miri Marriott to the various orphanages, disability centres and the hospital. It was an experience that brought on a rollercoaster of emotions, but an experience I will remember and treasure forever. It did get me thinking about CSR; how some companies (corporations) choose not to do it and for some that do it’s all just a load of green, blue or pinkwashing.

Personally, to experience what I experienced last week, it is worth all the time, all the money and all the effort. It’s a given that acts of CSR are not going to solve all the world’s problems (it would be amazing if they could!) but it is a way for companies to extend a helping hand to society, while also benefiting from it themselves. Clearly the feeling of doing something good for others is not enough, so why else should companies embrace corporate social responsibility? Specifically focusing on hotel CSR, I did a little informal verbal survey among my fellow associates and came up with the following reasons:

1.    Going Green is the new frontier of innovation – Hotels are constantly trying to keep up with the times, in terms of standards and innovations. New generation travellers (Gen Y) are more environmentally conscious and this can affect where they choose to stay. Hotels are very much aware of this and must think of innovative ways to accommodate to their greener needs

2.    It saves money – CSR is one of the easiest ways to cut down on costs. Whether it’s improving energy efficiency or water use, it really can make a difference it terms of saving some money;

3.    Competitive advantage – In conjunction with point 1, CSR can set you apart from your competitors, with guests having your hotel as a preference in response to all the your positive impacts on society/environment/etc;

4.    Long-term thinking – We are all very much aware of the need to be more sustainable economically, environmentally and socially (triple-bottom-line). Long-term sustainability is just good business when you’re in it for the long run;

5.    Communicating and Connecting with Customers – CSR can help you engage with your customers on a more personal level. Since the message you want to put out is about doing something “good,” it can often be an effective way of getting customer attention as well as community attention;

6.    Employee engagement – engaging employees in the company’s CSR priorities can really aid in communication and boosting morale.

Of course different companies do CSR for different reasons. But I take back what I mentioned before about CSR not solving the world’s problems; I would like to believe that if every CEO felt what I felt giving a gift to a little girl bed-ridden in hospital and putting a smile on her face, and then felt compelled to make more people smile, the world would be a much better place. Naive? Perhaps, but maybe I'm just optimistically planting seeds for all you future CEOs :)

Rachel Salinah Jackson

15624958/7e0b8041

Curtin Miri