Is Public Relations (PR) always about “sugar and spice and everything nice”? Are there situations where you have to close ranks and fight to defend your corporate reputation?
In the social age, seemingly innocuous events could be blown way out of proportion. At the same time, getting your news out there has become increasingly challenging in an ever-streaming, over-cluttered digital world.
Are you a public relations or PR professional? If so, what do you see yourself as?
A) Purveyor of the corporate spiel, coated with sugar, spice and everything nice;
B) Hustler for significant editorial coverage on newspapers, television news and magazines;
C) Guardian of your organisation’s corporate brand;
D) Gatekeeper to your head honchos; or
E) Spokesperson, communicator and messenger?
Communicating clearly is a constant pain for publicists like us. If we do it well, nobody is going to say a thing. If we botch it up, however…
Just yesterday, our Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong posted on Facebook about the ongoing need for public officers to communicate more clearly to the public. He shared a link from The Irish Times which described how Apple’s “lost its way with words” in a recent employment ad using “gibberish”.
Jack Welch speaks with his fists (courtesy of MinnPost)
Charity begins at home. Likewise, a company’s mission, vision, goals and brand values must start with its employees.
The challenge however is that we’re so fixated with getting the right “message” across to customers, shareholders, and the media that we forget what its like to speak to our team.
Have you wondered what works (and doesn’t) in Facebook?
Or how you can undo an ill conceived tweet let loose in a fit of anger?
Jesus certainly knows the power of good stories! (courtesy of Life with Da Man CD)
Since time immemorial, storytelling has influenced billions around the globe.
We’ve all heard of cave men and women sitting around a fireplace, listening intently as a wizened elder regaled the tribe with heroic chronicles of his younger days.
Courtesy of NewGadget00
Consider the following two headlines:
“Optimise Your Basal Metabolism with Product X – The World’s Most Technologically Advanced Nutritional Supplement”
Photo opportunities are good ways to grab media attention (from SHINE Youth Festival)
How can trade associations, societies and NGOs leverage on Public Relations (PR) to get the word out there? What strategies can they apply to “build buzz”?
As Vice Chairman of the Association of Singapore Attractions (ASA), one of my jobs is to increase the visibility of the association and establish it as an industry leader. Thanks to an invitation from MCI Singapore, I learned a few new tricks relevant to my association while refreshing my knowledge of the discipline.
Changi Airport’s successful efforts in newsjacking following Joseph Schooling’s Olympic Win (courtesy of Changi Airport Facebook Page)
Joseph Schooling’s historic win in the Rio 2016 Olympics kicked off a wave of media publicity.
It also resulted in multiple brands riding on the brand-wagon, with some brands doing better than others.
Are these foods not “white” enough? (courtesy of Daniel’s Food Diary)
When the ingredients to a dish are not properly assembled, the outcome could be a recipe for disaster.
It all started rather innocently and positively. Pitched as part of a global initiative, Dîner en Blanc is the world’s first viral event premised on the concept of a “très chic picnic” imported from Paris. According to its website, this mass gastronomic extravanganza have taken place in outdoor public spaces in 20 cities across 5 continents this year, from Barcelona to New York City, from Montreal to Sydney.