Tag: PR

Nikon Photo Contest: Viral Sensation or PR Fiasco?

January 31, 2016 Public Relations 2 comments

Nikon captures Photo Yu Wei

Courtesy of Nikon Facebook

“Look up in the sky! It’s a bird… It’s a plane… It’s a doctored photo which won a Nikon trolley bag!”

OK, just in case you were hiding behind a huge rock over the past 48 hours or so, a huge viral Facebook event has overtaken Singapore. Shutterbugs everywhere are talking about this photo contest so widely that it will probably become the most “viral” Facebook photo contest ever organised in Singapore.


Managing the 4 Types of Communication Crises

July 5, 2015 Public Relations 3 comments

Four Kinds of Communication Crises

What should you do when a major crisis erupts? How can you counter the wave of negative public opinions that emerge, especially online?

Well, it really depends on the circumstances. As the saying goes, having the best hammer doesn’t mean that every problem is a nail. Similarly, managing communication crises requires you to first diagnose the cause and effect of the issue before prescribing the right public relations strategy.


How Massive Media Influences Global Incidents

January 18, 2015 Public Relations no comments

Je Suis Charlie Khalil Bendib

(image courtesy of Muslim cartoonist Khalil Bendib)

Like fire, media publicity is a good servant but a bad master.

Managed well, it focuses the glaring spotlight on neglected issues which warrant a global audience. However, extensive media and social media coverage may also lead to unwarranted consequences.

Let us examine a recent tragic news event to see how this unfolds. One that is close to everybody’s hearts.


Should I or Shouldn’t I? – Ethics in PR

August 14, 2009 Public Relations 1 comment


Courtesy of Keith Maguire

As a public relations professional who deal with the media on a regular basis, I am often faced with situations which require a judgement call. These may take the form of a series of deeply probing questions by journalists who are determined to weed out the grains of dirt, or to develop a more sensational story from an otherwise run-of-the-mill piece.

While I believe in telling the truth, I am also aware that certain facts presented in the wrong context may end up leaving a false impression. The worst thing that can happen is to end up losing control of an unfolding story, and to be perceived as being uncooperative and unwilling to provide information to a hungry media circus.


In Media Relations, Timing is Everything

May 14, 2008 Blog 2 comments


The horrific Sichuan Earthquake left many dead or injured (courtesy of szbluewater)

The recent spate of cataclysmic events happening around our region is simply awful. To date, more than 50,000 people in the Sichuan area are either dead, missing or buried, and Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar has left more than two million homeless and tens of thousands dead. As we flip the papers, page after page describes the sad story of human tragedy caused by these natural/ manmade (some say that the cyclone is due to global warming) catastrophes.

From what I understand, both incidents are still unfolding. In other words, they will continue to dominate media spaces for quite some time.