Mobile marketing’s place in PR February 9, 2010
Posted by kerryn27 in communication.Tags: mobile marketing, public relations
add a comment
Mobile marketing may not be an entirely new concept, but it is certainly one that has been embraced recently, which makes sense considering the 37-million mobile users in South Africa alone, and especially with the recent upsurge of interest in smart phones. Valerie Christopherson, MD of Global Results Communications, also notes that companies that embrace mobile marketing tend to be the ones that have continued to grow despite the current economic climate.
The benefits of mobile marketing are that it allows for P
R practitioners to generate awareness on a targeted, yet large, scale, while at the same time enhancing reader engagement on a more personal and immediate level, because of the ‘always on’nature of mobile handsets. myMobworld’s Alexander Gregori comments that it connects businesses and customers at the right time; at the right place; with the right message.
At the same time, it is important to consider that mobile does not replace more traditional PR activities, but rather augments and strengthens these. Also, agencies need to understand the mechanics of various mobile technologies; how they are best deployed; and how they bridge the online and offline world for consumers.
The very nature of public relations is that it should reach target audiences through the medium in which they communicate in order to disseminate a message about a brand that the consumer can relate to and wants to interact with. Making use of mobile marketing seems like an effective way to do this, what with the popularity of the medium worldwide, and the opportunity it presents to engage with identifiable target markets. What is your opinion of using this medium as part of PR campaigns? Leave your comments here.
Is networking all it’s cracked up to be? February 4, 2010
Posted by kerryn27 in communication.Tags: Baby Boomers, conference, events, expo, generation gap, Generation X, Millennials, networking, seminar
add a comment
When you receive an invitation to an industry event, what makes you accept? The topic? The speakers? The venue? Or the opportunity to network? In the media, communications and marketing industries, there is always a plethora of events to attend, but the question is, how does one decide on the best type of event to hold in order to achieve the desired outcomes?
It seems that whether the event is a less interactive seminar or conference; a presentation that encourages interaction, questions, and debate; a networking session, where the main objective is to forge new relationships; or an expo, where brands and consumers can interact in an informal setting, the general consensus is that some form of networking should take place, almost as an added value for attendees – learn something new, but also meet someone new.
This is understandable, considering networking is useful for raising your profile; sourcing new opportunities; strengthening relationships; and gathering information. It is a way to exchange knowledge and benchmark performance, as well as to stay abreast of the latest industry news and developments. At the same time, I have attended many events where people stand around awkwardly wondering who they should speak to, furiously typing away on their phones while waiting for the formalities to begin. It seems that this is often the case with younger generations, who feel more comfortable communicating using email and SMS, and shudder at the thought of networking, while older generations stand by the belief that face-to-face communication remains the most effective.
TomorrowToday.biz’s Barrie Bramley discusses that this is exactly why Baby Boomers come into their own at networking sessions, already forming the bases of important new relationships which they might later follow up with a phone call, while Generation Xers and Millennials would prefer to quickly grab a few business cards and then hide behind their phones and laptops and let the speakers do the talking, before going back to the office and following up with an email.
In my opinion, whatever the type of event, what is important is to understand your target audience and what it expects, and to ensure that it goes off without a hitch, giving the audience something meaningful to take away, whether that is interesting content or new business relationships.
How do you feel about networking? What have been some of the memorable events you have attended and why? Leave your comments here.
Using the 2010 FIFA World Cup to get your message across January 12, 2010
Posted by leigh3a in awareness campaign.Tags: 2010 FIFA World Cup, My Tree In Africa, Newsclip, ZOOM Advertising
add a comment
The 2010 FIFA World Cup is set to be all-consuming for a few weeks this year, offering a plethora of innovative ways to market and communicate. South Africans are known as early adopters, and as a result, one can’t miss South Africa’s city branding for FIFA, what with brand new stadiums; streetlight posters; and the 35-tonne fibre-glass soccer ball now resting atop Telkom’s Hillbrow Tower.
Research conducted by Newsclip Media Monitoring also indicates that December 2009 generated the most print media exposure for FIFA. However, FIFA’s advertising and awareness strategy is not limited to increasing awareness about the World Cup matches themselves. FIFA also actively uses its competitions and events as platforms for running national and international awareness-raising campaigns, as well as to raise funds for established social causes, where FIFA ambassadors are involved as role models who help strengthen the messages conveyed.
As a result of the World Cup, many other companies have been inspired to hop on the bandwagon – for good reason. With around half a million visitors expected, My Tree in Africa provides an opportunity for airline passengers to offset the impact of their travel. Each tree distributed to a community costs R90, and travellers can quickly and easily work out the impact of their trip by using the ‘calculator’ on the My Tree in Africa site – www.mytreeinafrica.org. The initiative is the brainchild of ZOOM Advertising.
South Africans are known for their creative spark, and are sure to take advantage of the communication opportunities presented by the World Cup. If you have come across other campaigns that strike the right note, please leave your comments below.
Actual conference aside, the Hopenhagen awareness campaign was a success January 4, 2010
Posted by leigh3a in awareness campaign.Tags: awareness campaign, Climate Change Conference, Copenhagen, Endomondo, Facebook, hope boxes, Hopenhagen, Hopenhagen Passport, Ogilvy, Ogilvy Earth, open source, Rob Hill, Run for Hopenhagen, social networking, Twitter, UN, United Nations, University of Johannesburg, YouTube
add a comment
The world was abuzz with mention of ‘Hopenhagen’ for most of the latter half of 2009, with the frenzy kicking up a notch as the United Nations Climate Change Conference drew closer. It was held in Copenhagen, Denmark, from 7 to 18 December, and put all the more in the spotlight when green conscious global citizens took note of and began participating in Ogilvy Earth’s multimedia campaign for Hopenhagen.
While the outcomes of the conference itself have been deemed as somewhat less than exemplary, the campaign gained momentum and acceptance worldwide, as it went beyond merely tacking up a few posters around Copenhagen.. Rob Hill, Ogilvy South Africa Group Managing Partner, explains: “Hopenhagen provides ordinary people with the opportunity to have their say and to put pressure on our leaders to take global climate change seriously. The environmental crisis affects all of us. In South Africa and Africa it isn’t just about the environment; climate change threatens key economic activities like agriculture and critically impacts on our natural surroundings that are a very important export for us from a tourism and economic perspective. It is critical to our future and ordinary people need to make their voices heard.”
One of the slogans used in the awareness campaign was: ‘When people lead, leaders follow’. This points to the conference’s ‘stand out factor’ – global citizens had the opportunity to help lead the leaders, thereby turning Copenhagen into ‘Hopenhagen’. By visiting www.hopenhagen.org; signing the petition; and posting a message of hope, South Africans could become citizens of Hopenhagen and fuel the movement, as the messages of hope left on the petition and in ‘hope boxes’ were presented by the UN to the conference delegates. The open source campaign also encouraged ‘citizens’ to share their message and recruit further support online by using a host of interactive features, including banners that were downloadable onto social-networking profiles and blogs; a Facebook page as a forum for support and discussion as well as a Hopenhagen Passport application on Facebook, where users can earn stamps for ‘making the world a better place’; a Twitter account; and a YouTube channel.
The University of Johannesburg reported on another innovative way that the Hopenhagen campaign drew support and raised awareness – universities in South Africa were challenged to support the global Run for Hopenhagen running campaign, free of charge. Miles run by participants were tracked and then “donated” to the Hopenhagen campaign. The miles were registered at www.endomondo.com, from 23 November to 31 December.
What are your feelings about the Conference, as compared to the efforts put into the awareness campaign?
Leave your opinions below.
Insights into the South African communication industry December 9, 2009
Posted by kerryn27 in communication.Tags: Amanda Hamilton-Attwell, CCM, communication, Council for Communication Management, IABC, Services SETA
add a comment
On Monday, 30 November, the Council of Communication Management (CCM) held its Annual General Meeting (AGM), chaired by Dr Amanda Hamilton-Attwell of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC). The CCM is an alliance of professional organisations representing the interests of communication professionals in South Africa, with the purpose of pursuing recognition and excellence in the profession; delivering a body of knowledge and research; and launching initiatives to strengthen and grow the profession.
Hamilton-Attwell explained that one of the Council’s initiatives this year has been the undertaking of research in conjunction with the Services SETA to determine the current state of the communication industry. It was conducted in May this year, and included listed companies; private companies; small businesses; government departments; parastatals; and municipalities. The results give some interesting insight into the position of communication within business in South Africa:
• It seems that communication practitioners’ role within companies is being better recognised.
• Internal communication is not yet seen as a significant part of communication, evident from the small proportion of the communication budget it is allocated.
• The most significant decrease in budget has been in the area of training and development – a concern in light of the skills gap this study identifies.
• Communication practitioners understand their role to include areas such as strategic planning; public relations; reputation management; and crisis communication, while they see less value in skills such as lobbying and understanding communication law, and feel they lack skills in cross-cultural communication and conflict management.
The general perception of the communication industry, according to the study, is that it is gaining more influence; its image is improving; and it is being better integrated, and effective communication is becoming more important for business. The feeling is that there is a growing awareness of the role of communication, but the profession is not well enough equipped yet.
Hamilton-Attwell concluded by saying that it is necessary to address the skills gap identified by the CCM study to maintain this image and to continue to improve and strengthen the profession.
What are your views of the current state of the communication industry? How do you think it could be improved?
Keep Generation G in mind when bridging the generation gap November 17, 2009
Posted by leigh3a in communication.Tags: communication, corporate greed, Generation G, generation gap, generous, giving back
add a comment
Much has been said lately about the generation gap, and the need to tailor one’s communication message to meet the needs of each specific generation… but there’s a new generation to keep in mind.
In communication terms, Generation G stands for the ‘generous generation’ (not gaming generation). Copyblogger states it is not a typical generation defined by birth, but rather a generation defined by “repulsion at the corporate and political greed that has plummeted much of the world into economic doldrums”. Cnet news describes this ‘new’ generation as “wired to care, wired to share”.
According to Culture of Future, Generation Y in particular: “creates exceptionally unique ways of giving back, often centered on the socially-based human needs of the individual. They don’t feel they need to ‘go big’ to matter, and embrace the concept of micro-giving – making the world better, one person at a time.” So while Generation G is not based on a specific date of birth, it does seem that the younger generations are more sharing than we are led to believe. Not all selfish, most actually care about green initiatives and helping others.
What do you think? Has there been a definite move to becoming more generous? Have you noticed any ‘caring’ initiatives? Visit Trendwatching for an idea of the type of ‘generous’ campaigns that work.
Feel free to post your comments below.
Bridging the media-PR gap November 10, 2009
Posted by kerryn27 in communication.Tags: Marion Scher, media, press releases, public relations, spray and pray, Surviving the SA Media
add a comment
Marion Scher’s new book, Surviving the SA Media, offers some interesting insight into how public relations practitioners should communicate with the media. The public relations and media industries have always had a rocky relationship in that public relations practitioners claim that the media need them to fill newspapers and talk shows, while journalists claim that public relations generate stories just to create publicity for their clients. However, both parties need each other for these reasons, and it is therefore important that they know how to deal with each other.
Scher gives the following suggestions in terms of public relations practitioners tailoring their communication so that the media industry takes note:
• Press releases should be short and succinct, including only the essential information;
• ‘Spray and pray’ should NOT be adopted – rather, personalise press releases to each media organisation and individual you send to;
• Take care of the language you use – make it easily understandable and ensure that spelling and grammar mistakes are avoided;
• Make sure that when you are talking about your client on electronic media, you make it clear who your client is and what campaign you are speaking about;
• Choose the right people to address the media.
To bridge the gap between public relations and the media, public relations practitioners need to ensure that their content is relevant; newsworthy; succinct; and offers the media value. In this way, a more positive and mutually beneficial relationship is likely to exist between the media and public relations industries.
What is your take on the relationship between media and public relations? Continue the discussion here.
Effective PR for successful business November 3, 2009
Posted by kerryn27 in communication.Tags: ABSA, communications, marketing, marketing communications mix, Michelle de Pons James, Mohale Ralebitso, Monash Business Communication Forum, Monash South Africa, public relations, reputation, reputation management, Stone
add a comment
On Tuesday, 20 October I attended the third Monash Business Communication Forum hosted by Monash South Africa and Stone, at the Monash South Africa campus. The speakers gave some interesting insight into the importance of effective PR and communications in the business environment.
Mohale Ralebitso, Global Marketing Director: ABSA, asked the question, “Where does PR fit in the marketing communications mix?” He explained that PR has often been relegated to the background, but successful organisations have elevated PR to its rightful status as a priority discipline along with paid-for advertising. He emphasised that PR is a ‘before the fact’ rather than ‘after the fact’ discipline – it is not to be used merely when there is image and reputation damage. Michelle de Pons James, MD of Fleischman-Hillard Cape Town, added to this idea by asking the question, “Does communications in your company fall under marketing?” She feels that if it does, it hasn’t reached its optimal level. As a communicator, you should understand the business strategy and work to achieve full and active buy-in from the company’s leadership. Communications and PR should be a separate and recognised part of a company.
According to Ralebitso, we have moved away from offering limited services and not listening or taking the consumer’s opinion into consideration, to championing to consumer’s wants and needs and producing services that meet these needs. He added that reputation and reputation management is increasingly important, and it is necessary to maintain the balance between what the organisation stands for and what it lives up to – this is where PR comes in, because it is only by establishing and maintaining strong and loyal relationships with consumers that companies are able to gain constructive feedback from their consumers and have the ability to listen and put this feedback to use.
Newsclip’s Nicoli Cloete cautions that we need to consider that reputation is made up of much more than just a media perspective – it is necessary to take into account aspects such as market research, and conduct analysis on the perceptions of your consumers and stakeholders, in order to gain a more holistic perspective of reputation, rather than simply relying on the media to determine your company’s reputation. This ties in with Ralebitso’s thoughts that it is necessary to establish relationships with consumers and take their feedback into consideration.
Add your thoughts to this discussion by commenting here.
Sharing knowledge across the generation gap October 30, 2009
Posted by kerryn27 in Uncategorized.Tags: generation gap, Generation X, knowledge sharing, Millennials
add a comment
Knowledge sharing is an activity through which knowledge; information; skills; and expertise is exchanged. Organisations have recognised that knowledge constitutes a valuable intangible asset for creating and sustaining competitive advantages.
Charlene van Onselen of N-Beginnings business consultancy discusses that our relationship to knowledge differs across generations, and this often causes frustration in the workplace. Generation Xers and Millennials are able to listen to the radio; SMS; and maintain a conversation simultaneously, adopting a network model of handling information, while older generations seek in-depth knowledge and expertise is seen as important. Van Onselen goes on to explain that Generation Xers were taught in a linear manner and value depth of knowledge, while Millennials see information as expedient and only know a certain amount as anything else is just a click away on the internet.
According to an article in Business Week, Millennials seems to be the most knowledge-hungry generation, craving learning opportunities and using a wide range of media and technology to connect with others in order to build relationships and share knowledge. They do not believe in the idea that knowledge is power and that it should kept to oneself, but rather see the value in sharing knowledge for their personal fulfillment as well as the good of business.
Sharing knowledge is important for the survival of business. This is because intangible products (ideas; processes; information) are becoming more and more important, and the only sustainable competitive advantage is the continuous application of new knowledge. There is also an increase in turnover of staff so it has become necessary to ensure that when someone leaves your company, that at least some of their knowledge is retained within the company.
It is necessary to create a knowledge sharing culture to making knowledge sharing the norm and encourage people to work together more effectively in order to make organisational knowledge more productive. There is a wealth of knowledge to be gained from all individuals at all levels within an organisation. This requires multiple generations to not only work together but also to listen to and communicate with one another.
