the monthly newsletter for the Australian PR industry AUGUST 2013 1. Stellar Concepts appoints Cole as GM (pic, right) 2. Deana Tynan launches The Press Garage (pic, below right) 3. Ogilvy PR hires Frost as Head of Content (pic, below left) 4. Pogmore wins B&T Women in Media, PR of the Year Award (pic, below, middle)
5. H+K Strategies plans national expansion
www.expertguide.com.au
Be quick! Be part of the 2nd Annual Top 60 PR Agencies Report Following the success of the inaugural 2012 report, I am delighted to invite you to submit details for the 2nd Annual Top 50 PR Agencies Report 2013. There are a few changes to the categories, so please take a moment to read the list below.
Updated categories for 2013 The report will be split into the following categories: 1. The Top 25 PR agencies by size (aka The Top 25) 2. The Top 25 Boutique PR agencies 3. Top 5 Independents 4. Top 5 fastest growing agencies 1. The Top 25 PR Agencies by size: Agencies will be listed based on revenue for 2012 2. The Top 25 Boutique PR agencies: Boutique agencies will be grouped into 5 categories: a) Health & Wellbeing (incl pharma), Financial/Investor relations, Technology/IT&T, FMCG & experiential, and Public Affairs & Government relations b) A “boutique” agency is defined as an agency specialising in one sector, with 51% or more of agency revenue coming from one sector. 3. Top 5 Independents: not owned by any of the global holding companies (WPP, Publicis Omnicom etc) 4. Top 5 fastest growing agencies: highest % growth in revenue over two accounting periods Please send the following information to glen@theprreport.com 1. Agency revenue for 2012 and 2011 (or last 2 financial reporting periods) 2. Please note that revenue information will NOT be published in the report th th
Deadline: 16 August for the Top 25, 16 September for the other categories
The Top 25 agencies report will be published on 16th September, and the remaining categories on 16th October. All reports will be sent to subscribers of The PR Report (approx 8000 people). Thank you for considering this request and I look forward to hearing from you soon. Kind regards Glen Frost Publisher, The PR Report Tel: 02 9489 9010 Email: glen@theprreport.com P.S. The 2012 report is here: http://goo.gl/uP5Pa P.P.S. We have 3 pages of advertising left in the 2013 report; please email me for a media kit
Snippets Article in The Australian re Fair Work ombudsman alleges Crocmedia 'underpaid young workers'; http://goo.gl/NM3Quk Scott Rhodie is now Social Marketing Manager at GE Capital following his departure from the NBN Promotions: independent agency Agent99 Public Relations has promoted Ailish Smith to the position of Senior Account Manager and Michelle Simmonds to Account Executive Article in The Australian’s Media Section re Naked: how ad/comms agency tried to link content, editorial and advertising: http://goo.gl/yPv8Q6 Klick PR picks up Mudgee tourism account. Mudgee is a regional town in NSW, Australia, about 3.5 hours from Sydney. Louise Pogmore, Head of PR at The Hallway, has won the 2013 B&T Women in Media award for PR Julie‐Anne Davies leaves The Austin for a role with The Age Vote Compass, a JV between the ABC, Uni’s of Sydney and Melbourne has clocked up over 500,000 users to its website that tells you where on the political spectrum your views are located; a matrix of economic and social indicators; http://www.abc.net.au/votecompass/ Amazing infographic; What happens on the internet every minute: http://goo.gl/lpMctG
Account wins
ADHESIVE PR wins SINGAPORE TOURISM BOARD Independent consumer PR Agency Adhesive PR, has won the tender for Singapore Tourism Board, following a competitive pitch process that included 13 Australian PR Agencies. The two year contract encompasses Australia and New Zealand Public Relations Services, including ‐ idea generation, strategic counsel, social media strategy, media relations, crisis communications and event management. Adhesive PR will support Singapore Tourism Board’s focus, to maintain top‐of‐mind awareness for Singapore and creatively communicate their Australian marketing campaign – ‘Get lost and find the real Singapore’. The campaign challenges Aussies to abandon preconceptions of the city and uncover unexpected and bespoke experiences across key pillars such as dining, pampering, shopping, nightlife and attractions. Adhesive PR Managing Director Mike Maurice said, “With Singapore’s position right on our doorstop, many Australians think they ‘know’ Singapore, however many of their preconceptions are inaccurate or out of date. Adhesive PR’s role is to communicate just how much Singapore has changed and continues to do so, encouraging locals to ‘get lost’ and rediscover a myriad of bespoke experiences that have helped position the city‐state as the jewel of Asia.” Adhesive PR, which celebrated its 1st birthday in May of this year, offers their clients a full service approach, encompassing ‘sticky idea generation’ grounded in media relations, through to multi‐channel implementation across; events, experiential, digital, content generation, stakeholder relations, blogger engagement and social media. Their Client base includes: Lynx (Unilever), Jim Beam, Spotify, McDonald’s, Trend Micro and Hoyts.
Stellar Concepts wins Spotlight account Australian home interior store, Spotlight, has appointed Stellar Concepts as its PR and communications agency to support the brand’s 40th birthday in September. Following a successful pitch, Stellar will deliver a comprehensive media campaign including publicity and social driven content as the retailer celebrates 40 years. Spotlight is a privately owned and operated Australian family business that has grown from its humble beginnings as a dress fabric stall at Melbourne’s Queen Victoria market in the 1970s, to stores across Australia, New Zealand, and Asia, employing more than 6,700 people. Stellar Concepts’ client list includes Colorbond; Mercedes‐Benz; Michael Hill International; ghd hair; Marquee, The Star; Cafe Sydney; Cointreau; Tia Maria; Disaronno; Sail & Anchor; Advance, StreetSmart, Dr. LeWinn’s and Revitanail.
BAM Media wins PROTON Cars PROTON Cars has appointed BAM Media to manage its Public Relations and Media activities in Australia. Established in 1989 by Brett Murray, BAM Media has a heritage in motorsport and the automotive industry. BAM Media will be responsible for all public and media relations, media collateral, sponsorship activation, product launches, video production, media events, as well controlling the national press fleet. PROTON Cars Australia’s PR will be managed by BAM Media’s Senior Client Manager, Mark Higgins, who has over two decades experience in the automotive and motorsport industries. BAM Media is part of the BAM Group of companies that includes BAM TV, BAM Tours, BAM North America, Speedcafe.com, Jobstop.com and ozspeedshop.com.
Men At Work wins Kennards, Karcher and Yamaha Sky Division Men At Work have picked up three new clients; Kennards, Karcher and Yamaha Sky Division. Men At Work say they are an agency with the point of difference; they only represent clients with male centric products and services. Company Director, Adam Mumford, began his career in the communications world 20 years ago. Adam cut his teeth in the Real Estate industry with McGrath, before founding his own agency ‘Use My Mind’ with offices in Sydney and on the North Coast. After UMM, Adam decided the PR game was in need of a shake up, so with childhood friend Sean McKeon by his side, Men at Work Communications was born. Photo: Michael Willcocks, Allan Stormon, Adam Mumford, Sean McKeon, Connor Benfield, Luke Dean‐Weymark, Jonas Tobias
BENCH PR wins NetIQ, Novell, SUSE and Attachmate BENCH PR has been awarded the APAC lead agency role for NetIQ, Novell, SUSE and Attachmate, business units of the Attachmate Group, also adding a new senior consultant, Katie Peters to the team. The agency has extended its partnership with NetIQ, Novell, SUSE and Attachmate to include the coordination of their APAC PR and analyst relations function, working with Ogilvy in China and India, as well as PRAP Japan. BENCH first started working with Attachmate and NetIQ in 2010 and then Novell and SUSE following the acquisition in 2011. Over the past two years, BENCH PR has successfully increased the profile of each of the business units in Australia and New Zealand through media relations and thought leadership activity. To further support the team’s growing list of clients, Katie Peters has joined the team as senior consultant. Peters has 12 years PR experience having worked most recently in house for eyewear manufacturer and retailer Luxottica, and Microsoft Europe, Middle East and Africa.
Bite wins Jawbone Jawbone, a San Francisco based consumer electronics company, has engaged Bite for strategic counsel, public relations support and influencer and digital engagement for the Asia Pacific launch of UP, a wearable technology wristband and app system that helps users discover and learn things about themselves and their lifestyles. Utilising sensors in the wristband, the technology of smartphones, and data in the cloud, UP helps users take a holistic approach to a healthy lifestyle by illustrating the interconnectedness of user’s sleeping patterns, diet, movement and feelings.
Helen Lear wins W.Short Hotel Group PR freelancer Helen Lear has won the PR account for W. Short Hotel Group, owners of pubs and hotels, including The Australian and The Glenmore in The Rocks, The Seabreeze Hotel in South West Rocks and their latest purchase, The Royal in Leichhardt. The Royal will officially relaunch at end of August with a new restaurant, terrace and food menu that will offer quality, homemade pub food. Other current clients include Arras restaurant, AV 24/7, MamaBake, Musicians Making A Difference and life coach and blogger, Vashti Whitfield.
Haystac’s new client wins for Melbourne, Brisbane and NZ offices Haystac Melbourne has been appointed to manage the strategy and on and offline engagement for the City of Melbourne’s premier fashion event, Melbourne Spring Fashion Week. They are also working with Care Australia on their Christmas gifting campaign and have won contracts to manage the social media for Goodyear Tyres and for select projects for Consumer Affairs Victoria. The Haystac New Zealand office recently picked up clients Breville, Charlie’s Trading Company and Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. Haystac Brisbane has promoted Account Directors Laura Walls and Haylie Marchant into the dual role of Agency Head. Haystac’s Brisbane clients include Baskin‐Robbins, Supercheap Auto, Sanofi Aventis Healthcare (including Ostelin, Cenovis & Nature’s Own) and a range of projects for the newly signed Tourism & Events Queensland. Anton Staindl, Managing Director of PR Services at Aegis Media – incorporating Haystac and Spark – said the recent wins were a reflection of the strong teams in place in each of Haystac’s four offices.
Agency News
Blackie McDonald creates digital division; bmcdigital Blackie McDonald has launched a new division ‐ bmcddigital ‐ to formalise its current client offerings in the social media and Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) strategy and management space. The new business division was formed following the merger of Blackie McDonald with Sydney‐based company Video, Social, Marketing P/L headed by Meredith Collins. The new bmcddigital team also includes Karl Castan, an e‐commerce and SEO specialist. Executive Chairman, Tony Blackie, said the addition of Meredith Collins and Karl Castan to the Blackie McDonald team is a major boost to the organisation’s social media offering. "Meredith Collins has a huge amount of experience in the development of successful social media strategies for organisations such as the Commonwealth Bank, Westpac and Rotary. She brings a depth of knowledge coupled with practical application skills that mean the difference between strategies that work and those that don't," said Blackie.
Sefiani wins Holmes Report Asia Pac award Sefiani has been named Asia‐Pacific Corporate and Public Affairs Consultancy of the Year in the 2013 Holmes Report Asia‐ Pacific Consultancy of the Year Awards. In announcing the award, Paul Holmes, Editor‐in‐Chief and CEO of The Holmes Group noted the achievements of Sefiani including considerably broadening its scope of operations in 2012 with the introduction of a change communication practice, expansion of the investor relations offering and appointment of former Stockbroker of the Year Harold Shapiro, and the opening of a new office in Brisbane. High‐profile work included communication programs for the award‐winning transformation of the OPSM Super Brand and the successful integration of leading accounting firms BDO and PKF, both of which “showcased Sefiani’s ability to operate in the C‐suite, counselling clients at the highest level and delivering real business results”.
Shout app launched by Martino A nifty new app called Shout, is encouraging Aussies to shout – like they would a mate‐ the value of a beer or coffee to their charity of choice. Shout is the brainchild of the founder of PR/comms agency Undertow Media, Jane Martino. Integrating mobile technology and charitable giving, Shout harnesses the power of mobile technology and social media to spread the word to help non‐profit organisations‐ anywhere, at any time. Shout is free from the iTunes App Store and Google Play. Once an account holder, donations to the value of $5/ $10/ $20 up to $150 can be made, directly to the listed charity of choice. Group shot L‐R Undertow Media: Sarah Clarkin, Rhianna Senior, Merilla Colovic, Jane Martino (founder of shout and Undertow Media), Amanda Graham, Danée Georgiou
Smith launches Gov’t relations firm After nine years in the lobbying/ government relations/ consulting at Enhance Corporate, Mike Smith is launching his own firm; Ethical Consulting: developing strategies and plans for campaigns, communications, marketing, branding, and government/stakeholder relations, and providing customised training in those areas. Contact: mike.smith@ethicalconsulting.com and www.ethicalconsulting.com
Thankyou Water’s PR campaign run by Click PR You may have noticed the high profile campaign by Thankyou Water (and other products) in the media; the PR is being driven by Click PR, and Click PR are working on a pro‐bono basis. Background: Social enterprise Thankyou.co announced that its range of products will soon arrive on the shelves of Woolworths, Australia's largest supermarket chain. A high profile social media campaign rallied Australian customers to voice their support for Thankyou’s range of water, food and body care products.
VIVA! Communications help search for more Progeria children To coincide with a new Progeria clinical trial, the campaign to locate more children across the globe living with the rare and fatal rapid‐ageing condition has begun. VIVA! Communication’s Global Health PR network have lent their services to the Progeria Research Foundation to relaunch the, Find the Other 150 campaign, to build on its success over the past few years in identifying nearly 50 additional children with the condition. Progeria, also known as Hutchinson‐Gilford Progeria Syndrome (HGPS) is a rare, fatal genetic condition characterized by the appearance of accelerated ageing in children. Symptoms include growth failure, loss of body fat and hair, aged‐looking skin, stiffness of joints, hip dislocation, and cardiovascular (heart) disease, among others.
Write Away launch client showcase for media Almost 70 editors, journalists, stylists, bloggers and researchers attended Write Away's annual Summer Showcase held in Sydney on Tuesday 6th August. Throughout the full day exhibition‐style event, they previewed soon‐to‐be‐released products, watched demonstrations and discussed editorial ideas across the range of home, food, lifestyle and consumer technology brands on show, including Breville, Kambrook, Uniden, Pentax‐Ricoh, Sigma and Fuji Xerox. Photo: L‐R Write Away consultants at the annual Summer Showcase. Belinda Truong, Emily Kennedy, Kelly Gee, Andy Sephton, Emma Wright, Corrina Anderson, Jenny Stopher, Claire Smith and Kathryn Bramwell
Will Publicis and Omnicom merger impact PR in Australia? Global marketing comms holding companies Publicis Groupe and Omnicom Group announced plans to merge and form the world's largest marketing communications and PR services firm, to be called Publicis Omnicom Group. At a global level, Publicis PR agency companies include; MSL Group, Publicis Consultants and Kekst; Omnicom’s PR agency brands include Fleishman Hillard, Ketchum, Porter Novelli, Marina Maher Communications and Cone Communications; not all are in Australia, and none offered any comment to The PR Report for this issue. According to industry experts, the merger is designed to help deliver greater value to shareholders, and compete with WPP, the UK based marketing services giant run by Sir Martin Sorrel.
Appointments
Hotwire hires Witts as Director Media Strategy Hotwire, a global integrated PR and communications consultancy, has appointed of Peter Witts as a director to their Australia team. Witts will be based in the agency’s Sydney office and will oversee media strategy. Witts previously founded and ran Agenda PR, and clients will be moving across to Hotwire. Witts brings considerable experience in technology communications in Australia and New Zealand, and across the Asia‐Pacific region more broadly. Starting his career as a business and economics journalist at The Australian, Peter also has experience of running his own tech focused public relations agency, Agenda PR, and working at in‐house at CISCO Systems, a global tech corporation in a senior in‐house PR role covering Asia‐Pac. Witts will be supporting clients’ media strategies and helping to drive new client opportunities through his many connections in the industry. Witts commented on the news, saying: “It’s great to join such an ambitious and committed global organisation of people, who offer an alternative approach to traditional PR. My first week was spent with the global team in London at Hotwire’s annual ‘Bootcamp’, so I’m looking forward to starting work with our clients in Australia who are all disrupting the tech market in some way. As an old‐fashioned ‘relationships guy’, I’ll also be putting these relationships to good use in helping to grow the ANZ business.”
Firebrand Talent hires PR recruiter in Sydney Firebrand Talent has hired an additional PR recruiter for PR and Corporate Communication roles. Charlotte Flood joins Deborah Musolff on the PR desk. Originally from the UK, prior to recruitment, Charlotte worked as an Account Manager at Proctor & Gamble for 6 years.
Hutchison hired as Head of PR for Finder.com.au Michelle Hutchison has been appointed Head of PR for Australia's comparison website Finder.com.au. Michelle commences on August 21, 2013, and will be the Spokesperson for Finder.com.au. Her role will also include communications and marketing strategies and managing Finder.com.au's communications team.
Red Agency expands Red Agency has appointed Rachel White to the role of Principal of its Sydney office, following growth for the business. Rachel will take over running Red Agency’s day‐to‐day Sydney operations reporting to Managing Director James Wright. The agency has also hired Bridget Dixon as an Account Manager in Red Agency’s Brisbane office. Bridget was previously employed with the Lung Foundation Australia where she was across national public relations and fundraising campaigns, media relations, digital media management, events, marketing and stakeholder relations.
Stellar Concepts appoints Cole as GM PR and marketing communications agency, Stellar Concepts, has appointed Hayley Cole as its new general manager and a change in the key leadership team following the departure of its managing director, Victoria Tulloch. Stellar Concepts director and founder, Marguerite Julian said, “Hayley’s ascension to the role of general manager signals a new fresh and vibrant stage for Stellar in‐line with the ever evolving communications landscape. Having watched her advance in her six years with us, I had no hesitation in offering Hayley the top spot.” Hayley has worked on varied local and international brands during her time at Stellar including Mercedes‐Benz; ghd hair; Lend Lease and Merivale.
Articles
Life after journalism: how many now in PR? How many journalists have moved into PR is just one of the questions being answered by a new study researching journalism in Australia. The New Beats study on Journalists run by La Trobe University, Swinburne University, Canberra University and the University of Sydney is researching journalists made redundant in the past year, and looking at what careers or roles they have moved into, post journalism. More info at www.newbeatsblog.com/about Twitter @newbeatsproject
Bauer Media launch recruitment websites Bauer Trader Media has launched a specialised print‐and‐online job search facility for the transport, rural and skilled trades sectors. TradeYourJob.com.au combines online, mobile and iPad access with a massive parallel print presence in more than a dozen industry‐leading magazines.
Sport #1 topic for Twitter Australia Interesting article on Twitter’s ex‐AFL PR guy, Twitter’s PR agency Thrive PR, by social media commentator, Asher Wolf: http://asherwolf.net/drop‐bears‐trolls‐and‐twitterau/373 Wolf has also mapped Twitter’s Australian topic categories; see pie chart, right.
ICAC highlights role of Mayor’s PR NSW ICAC enquiry played a phone tap where a Mayor asks Publicist to “work out a way of leaking that” ‐ From smh.com.au = “This was despite a phone tap in which Cr Petch is heard telling his publicist, Anthony Stavrinos, to ''work out a way of leaking that'' after Mr Neish had resigned.” http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/‐2qne5.html
The Guardian solves digital profit challenge The UK Royal wedding may have helped The Guardian solve it’s loss making journalism – following a number of people complaining the were “over” the Royal wedding (especially those folk based in the UK), The Guardian website offered two different websites – one for Monarchists, one for Republicans. The unintended result of the “two websites in one” ? – double the adverts! The red circle shows the two different pages. If you’re a Monarchist, you’d see this news:
If you’re a Republican, you’d see this news:
RachelsList.com.au new site for media and PR: The Watercooler According to the founder, Rachel Smith, The Watercooler is a website where media and PRs connect. PRs can use the shout‐ outs service, a PR/brand search tool and The Calendar. Here's how it works: 1. Once your registration is approved, you can send shout‐outs to find PRs, case studies, experts; to organise media meet‐ups and to share industry news. It's free for job seekers to send unlimited shout outs, so give it a whirl. Events and networking meet‐ups you are organising can be added to The Calendar. PRs and members can respond to shout‐outs privately via the site. 2. You can search for PRs by company name, brand or category via a search tool on The Watercooler home page. If you know PRs who you think would like to be on board, feel free to shoot them a link to the site. 3. PRs can join the List for free and be searched for in the database. They can also opt for paid membership which gives them access to media shout‐outs, and the opportunity to send shout outs of their own (which you can browse / respond to if there's something of interest). 4. The Calendar is a great way to see what's going on in the industry, and will include links to workshops, media courses, PR events, and industry get‐togethers that PRs can create themselves. http://www.rachelslist.com.au/wc/ Contact Rachel: hello@rachelslist.com.au Photo: Left to right: Rachel Smith, Leo Wiles
SuperChargedFood wins Bupa’s top blogger award Australia’s most inspiring and informative bloggers in the health sphere have been named and famed as part of Bupa’s inaugural Health Influencer Blog Awards. The winners of six categories – healthy lifestyle, health eating, family time, positive life change, personal development/self care and social good – as well as one overall winner, were announced at an event at Melbourne’s Luna Park, which doubled as a health “master class” for bloggers and their guests. More than 600 nominations were received nationally, and Lee Holmes, the brains behind SuperCharged Food, was announced as the overall winner.
Life after journalism: how many now in PR? How many journalists have moved into PR is just one of the questions being answered by a new study researching journalism in Australia. The New Beats study on Journalists run by La Trobe University, Swinburne University, Canberra University and the University of Sydney is researching journalists made redundant in the past year, and looking at what careers or roles they have moved into post journalism. More info at www.newbeatsblog.com/about Twitter @newbeatsproject
H+K Strategies plans double digit growth, national expansion H+K Strategies have staked a place for PR; they believe PR is about strategic placement of a PR practitioner, or preferably PR counsel, at the top table with the CEO, the lawyer, the CFO, and the CIO. In a broad ranging interview with The PR Report, H+K Strategies new Australian CEO, Paul Plowman, offers his views on the trends in PR and communications, and his plans for H+K in Australia. Plowman is bullish on growth for H+K in Australia; he’s forecasting double digit growth and national expansion, with offices in many of the State capital cities around Australia. According to Plowman, H+K can grow rapidly in the next twelve months: “…we can do double digit numbers over the next twelve months. I’m fairly confident of that. I won’t nominate a particular number but I would make it double digits.” As for expansion of offices around the country, Plowman is focused on building H+K Strategies into a powerful agency: “I have a national plan for growth; over the next two years we’ll have a national footprint.” Apart from his growth plans, Plowman used the interview to state two additional key messages for H+K Strategies Australia; that H+K is about strategy first and offers a full suite of solutions to any businesses’ communications challenge; and H+K is an exciting agency to work for, as it offers Australian and international opportunities. Plowman’s approach to client work is reflective of the change in name to incorporate the word “Strategies” in the name of the firm (H+K Strategies), as Plowman says: “let’s put the need of the client, the analysis of the need of the client, at the centre of the proposition ... And then assemble around those clients’ needs at a given point in time the right team and the right group of people that can actually solve those problems and deal with them.” The Sydney office is open plan and plowman doesn’t have “the corner office” like many of the global agency heads covet. His philosophy is very much hands on, working with his team, to offer each client a strategy and a communications solution. According to Plowman: “we take a diagnostic approach to what is actually going on with the client in the business and then going back to them having that depth of understanding and then recommending the kind of people and the kind of skills and experience that’s going to help solve their problem. So I call that the ‘one team’ approach.” On the opportunities for staff at H+K, Plowman adds: “We have an engagement with international offices, with international clients on a daily basis. So the globalisation of communications and the globalisation of business is incredibly real. The movement of people throughout our network – I mean Sue Cook who had this job before me is now heading up the global health team in London. Courtney Rule, who was a junior account manager here is now working on global business development in London and New York. Amy Bradshaw, one of our star performers in this office, has just won the initial Robinson International Scholarship, so she’s off to New York for three months.” Whilst Plowman is positive about growth opportunities in Australia, he also brushes aside competition from lower priced boutique agencies and the accounting/advice firms, such as Deloitte and KPMG, who want to move into the strategic communications advice area. According to Plowman: “… those folks can’t do it. And with all due respect to a lot of my friends who are merchant bankers and run divisions inside those businesses – they’re the last people who you’re going to go for communications advice. A bunch of accountants who are good at auditing aren’t going to be good at communications. What they are very skilful at in some regards is the dissemination of government policy. What they’re very good at is looking at regulatory impact statements and advice to governments on those sorts of things. But at the end of the day, in my experience, they [clients] turn to a company like this [Hill + Knowlton Strategies] and say how the hell do we communicate?” Paul Plowman will be working hard to achieve his revenue targets, but there’s no doubt the plain talking CEO of Hill + Knowlton Strategies will be looking for new people to help him win and serve new clients, making for a revitalized agency and keeping the other major agencies on their toes.
Media
Media Connections special offer for readers of The PR Report By Linda Reed‐Enever, Media Connections Media Connections is the place where story ideas, media and publicity meet. As Media Directory, we offer business, PR and marketing companies a channel to submit releases to our growing database of journalists. Journalists are alerted of that “next story” with our Journalist Alerts putting your news, releases and profiles right into their inboxes. We have over 450 journalists subscribed to our alerts and we are committed to getting your news out for you. Media Connections would like to offer readers of The PR Report the chance to join us as a Marketing Member for just $175.00 per year saving you $400 per year. Being a Marketing member you will be able to add releases to our Press Room, create Available for Interview Profiles and more. Here is what you need to do to take up the offer: 1. Register at http://mediaconnections.com.au/register/ 2. Choose the Marketing Annual Option 3. Enter the code: WELOVEPR 4. Subscribe and get ready to add your first release! Join Media Connections and share your news today! For more information, contact: Linda Reed‐Enever ‐ Media Connections Email: linda@mediaconnections.com.au The attached infographic to this month’s email is from The Online Circle. For more information about online political trends, please contact Claire Macfarlane on claire.macfarlane@theonlinecircle.com
Infographic: a month in politics By Lucio Ribeiro, Lead Strategist at Online Circle Digital It is no secret that social media has become a leading source of information for breaking news, offering real‐time updates. During a campaign period, social media allows our politicians to talk directly with constituents and the broader public. In the lead up to the next election, we are providing insight into the use of social by our political leaders. Using data provided by Social Pulse, we have created a snapshot of Kevin Rudd and Tony Abbott’s profiles before the campaigning began. We’ll be following up with where the data stands at the conclusion of the election in the September edition of PR Report.
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New series of professional development workshops to teach what isn’t in PR textbooks The thousands of dollars PR agencies will save is the most obvious benefit of attending new workshops developed by one of Australia’s most experienced PR trainers. Savings can be made from both staff retention and more effective work practices, according to the former head of H&K and Edelman in Australia, Amanda Little. Professional development is the leading benefit PR companies across Australia offer their staff ahead of perks such as mobile phones, laptop computers, doona days according to the PRIA Registered Consultancy Group 2012 Benchmark Study. “Agency leaders tell me training is critical to retention,” Amanda said. “It keeps people sticky to their organisation, and there is an inverse relationship between staff turnover and profit.” Over the past three years, Amanda has developed a suite of professional development workshops which teach pr professionals the sort knowledge you cannot find in textbooks. “Being able to effectively evaluate business opportunities, for instance, can save a consultancy $20,000 of time on an unsuccessful pitch that they were never going to win,” she said. Being able to avoid getting fired by clients is another invaluable skill Amanda has and can teach. “There are subtle and obvious warning signs. With some clients it can be when they complain about small expenses. With others, watch out when they stop complaining because that is when they are busy looking for a replacement agency.” “Staff walk into PR agencies with technical skills. I teach the soft skills you can wrap around them. You can be technically brilliant but you won’t move ahead if you can’t manage people, money and clients.” Amanda’s groundbreaking development series, based in Sydney, includes: •
Account Director Master Class, August 22
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New Business Strategy and Skills, September 6
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Managing Time and Money, October 17
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When the going gets tough: Conflict skills, November 7
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Delegate or Drown, December 5
To register, visit www.intermediaconsulting.com.au Amanda, a founding member of the PRIA National Accreditation Committee and fellow of the institute, is a recipient of several PRIA Golden Target Awards. She has an MBA, is a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. She is a seasoned PR lecturer at universities and TAFEs and has presented her PR Bootcamp to hundreds of PR professionals around Australia. What PR professionals are saying about Amanda Little and her workshops: “Amanda Little is a consultancy genius.” - Brett Galvin, MD, The Mint Partners “Very enjoyable and informative. Amanda was able to keep the attention of the whole group for the entire session. “ “I can see myself using this on a daily basis.” “It put our processes into perspective and highlighted the strengths and weaknesses.” “Great to get me on track for business development.” – Workshop participants More information: Amanda Little 0411 193 684
Seeking a multi‐talented health + wellness PR consultant for award‐winning communications agency, Sydney VIVA! Communications – a dynamic, award‐winning, health + wellness communications agency – is seeking an ambitious and experienced healthcare PR consultant to join its team on a full‐time basis. A self‐starter who ‘stands out from the crowd’ is a must. Preferred skills set: • Public Relations/Journalism/Communications degree (mandatory) • Science/medical/health degree (optional) • 2‐5 years’ experience working in a healthcare PR agency (preferred) • An excellent understanding of the Australian & NZ (optional) media • Familiarity with the Medicines Australia Code of Conduct, MTAA & TGA codes • Knowledge of, and exposure to the pharmaceutical and health industry • Excellent written and verbal communications skills with close attention to detail • Some experience / demonstrated involvement in: ‐ New business development: proposal development and pitching ‐ Experience in coordinating integrated communication campaigns ‐ Budgeting ‐ Tender & RFP responses ‐ Account planning and supervision ‐ Decision making and problem solving • Strategic, analytical mind, proactive, creative and energetic attitude • Strong social and digital media experience • Passion for health + wellness communication. The successful candidate will possess excellent liaison and presentation skills. They will be required to manage a team of consultants, will have direct daily interaction with Management, and have the ability to contribute, motivate, manage and inspire staff. Above industry standard remuneration offered and additional benefits available to the right candidate. Applications for this position are being handled strictly in confidence. To apply for this position, email your CV to Paul Jans, Managing Director, VIVA! Communications Pty Ltd at pj@vivacommunications.com.au
Late news
Sefiani appoints Jordan‐Meier to lead training Sefiani has appointed Jane Jordan‐Meier to the newly created position of Strategic Adviser & Coach, High‐Stakes Communication. Jane will lead Sefiani’s new High‐Stakes Communication Skills Training division which sees the introduction of specialist training and workshop services including: • Crisis management in the digital age • Crisis preparedness training and scenario testing • High‐stakes media skills training • Communication strategy workshops • Investor presentations
Correction In the July issue of The PR Report we stated that BlueChip Communications part financed the start‐up of F4 ‐ this is incorrect, F4 was financed by Fergus Kibble and he remains the sole owner of the company. Our apologies for the error.
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