Winnipeg's the Bay Downtown: A Destination Worth Visiting

It's been a slice...this PR Fundamentals class. A slice of R and A and C and E. And finally we were able to put all the slices together and come up with a whole PR plan. My plan's focus was our downtown Bay store.

I am passionate about our country, about our province and beautiful city of Winnipeg. I truly enjoyed working on a PR plan for Winnipeg's downtown Bay store. It's a beautiful historic building built in 1926, but it is in need of some TLC. Hudson Bay Company (est. 1670) is a company that is part of Canadian history - a company I hope will be around forever.

http://www.tecumsehs.com/clothing.htm

 

Researching about the Bay made me fall in love with the department store. They have a wonderful website and great programs and products in place. I especially love their Hudson Bay Collection and wish I could afford to make a Genuine HBC Point Blanket Capote. The Bay offers opportunity to learn about the traditional art of making a capote in a workshop setting. How cool is that?!

I've visited the HBC gallery at our Manitoba Museum numerous times. The Nonsuch ship is a treasure and the HBC gallery is outstanding! We are fortunate to have the bulk of HBC historical items in Winnipeg, and there is so much of it that our museum only showcases about 5% of it. I highly recommend checking out our world-class museum.

Winnipeg is also headquarters for the $60 million worth of HBC archives. In fact, the Hudson's Bay Company Archives became part of the United Nations "Memory of the World" project in 2007 under UNESCO.

Photos provided by the Hudsons’ Bay Company Archives, Manitoba Archives

Earlier this year Winnipeg received yet another HBC treasure.
An HBC Heritage film returned from England. This film is part of a two-hour silent film called "Romance of the Far Fur Country" (that's us!). The film was commissioned in 1920 for the Hudson Bay Company's 250th anniversary. The first showing was in May 1920 in Winnipeg's Allen Theatre which we now know as the Metropolitan (another wonderful heritage building recently renovated and opened here in Winnipeg). It was then shown in movie theatres across Canada. Now it's been digitalized, and I am hoping to view it one day.

There is just so much more I could say! My PR plan only shows a small portion of the magnificent department store. I sure hope Winnipeg's Bay store is able to work some PR magic and keep the customers coming. After all, with so many stores coming from other countries (Ikea and Target), we need to support our uniquely Canadian businesses.

Here's the final Strategic PR Plan assignment.
Winnipeg's the Bay Downtown: A Destination Worth Visiting

http://www.akpool.co.uk/postcards/224644-postcard-winnipeg-manitoba-blick-auf-d-hudsons-bay-company

Thanks for a wonderful 12 weeks, Samantha and all classmates.

(one more item on my wishlist -a 2012 limited edition stocking, handmade in Canada by a Metis Craftsperson - found on their facebook page, and here for $275)

Target, eh?!

Target is coming to town. And what a party we are planning!

http://sites.target.com/images/company/home/content/masthead_hello_canada.jpg
 

When I heard Target was coming to Canada, I was not all that excited. I figured we did not need another American company coming to Canada to encourage more ‘Über-shopping’ and perhaps take away customers from some of our Canadian stores. I believe that as a society we need to learn to shop less and get by with less ‘stuff’. However, that is my personal opinion, one that I need to develop with my own lifestyle...still a work in progress. At this point I would be considered a hypocrite with this philosophy. After all, this week I’m taking a whole tour bus full of Winnipeggers to Minneapolis for the Black Friday weekend. To shop! At Target...and other places...American shopping places. My walk doesn’t meet my talk...yet.

Target has created a buzz in Canada. They state that they are going to provide Canadians with new shopping opportunities, with new-to-Canada products, and all at affordable prices. Target is also committed to being a good neighbour, bringing much benefit to each of the communities where one will find a Target location. It is these benefits that my PR tactics will focus on.

Since I was assigned to develop tactics for Target’s coming to town, I started with research, as Samantha, our PR instructor, has ingrained in us. Research can sure open our eyes, eh? Prior to research, I viewed Target as being another Walmart type corporation: a giant that puts small businesses out of business and doesn’t bring much benefit to a community, in my opinion. Perhaps Walmart could use a dose of good PR!

Target may be new to Canada, but its roots can be traced back to1902, under the name Dayton’s Dry Goods Company. They were philanthropic from the early days of the corporation as The Dayton Foundation, now known as The Target Foundation. I was duly impressed with the company’s generosity and ethical behaviour. They have also won numerous awards and acclamations from reputable sources. Either they have tremendous luck with great PR, or they are truly a decent company. Their good reputation made it quite easy to come up with positive PR tactics.

Target is coming to town. This is a story the media will want to report. Part of my strategy is to make certain they are able to report positive facts about Target and that the message of Target as a 'Good Neighbour' comes across loud and clear. As the president of Target Canada says:

 

"Target is so much more than just a place to shop. We also have a long history as a great place to work and of being a strong partner in the cities and towns where we do business. I’m proud to report that we’re already hiring a great team and launching our philanthropic efforts."
 

Here are some of the tactics I have come up with that will share the philanthropic philosophy of Target and also the benefit Target brings to communities, as well as the opportunity for shopping deals:

 

·        Target will keep on top of social media, their website and blogs to keep their publics posted about all upcoming events, contests and philanthropic goals, as well as special shopping deals.

 

·         Target will have regular press releases about upcoming events, contests, goals and objectives for each Target community store. These press releases will start in December and increase in frequency as the opening dates move closer.

·         Target will place ads and also media awareness campaigns on television, radio and newspapers, starting January 25, 2013. They will promote store openings, sales, shopping merchandise and also Good Neighbour events. These include all of the campaigns and programs included in the tactics.
 

·         Not only is Target already taking job applications online, Target will also hold job fairs on a weekly basis beginning three weeks prior to store openings. This will also be announced via a press release.
 

·         Target will continue to promote their Canadian REDcard, advertising on television, radio and newspapers as well as social media about the REDcard and the opportunity to use it online and in any of the Target stores.
 

·   Target will start a "Take Charge of Education" program in Winnipeg on January 25, 2013, three months prior to their opening. Schools will be invited to enroll online, and parents and the community will be invited to sign up for the REDcard online, choosing a school to support.
 

·         Starting February 1, 2013, Target will be holding a contest for local public school students to come up with a YouTube video that will promote the Target Brand. The winning school will receive $25,000 in grant money and a chance to have their video used for a nation-wide television commercial. Each school may send in as many video submissions as they wish. The winner will be chosen on Opening Day, April 19, 2013. Contest announcement will coincide with the Take Charge of Education announcement.

·          Each store will have its own Facebook page. For every ‘like’ the page receives, it will donate a dollar to community sports and/or arts programs.
 

 

·         The “Paint the town RED” campaign will take place February 8-16, 2013 in each community where a new Target is opening up. A group of Target staffers will have a display set up in specific local malls. Everyone who visits the displays and is wearing a RED shirt will receive a coupon worth $10 off a $50 purchase at any Target location, including online shopping. Not only that, but for every RED shirt Target will donate $10 to the Heart and Stroke Foundation.
 

·         The“Paint the town RED” campaign will ask people to sign up for email updates, and will have a small survey available asking questions about the perceptions and expectations of the new Target store. The staff will have opportunity to interact with their public and also try to get feedback and contact information so they can keep in touch and hopefully evaluate the success of the launch at a later date. There will also be awareness made of all Target Canada social media links, and apps.

 

·         Target will hold a fashion show in the mall during the “Paint the town RED” campaign. This will showcase a number of models wearing some of the quality fashion items Target will sell in their store.

 

·         Target will be looking to hire four teen-age Target ambassadors during the “Paint the town RED” campaign. Once hired, they will be featured in future mailers as models and will help out with local media events, campaigns, and opening ceremonies. They will also speak to the younger generations on social media sites and the Take Charge of Education program and will also help judge the YouTube Target video submissions from the schools.

 

·         During the week of April 11 and April 18, Target flyers and mailers will be sent out to the surrounding communities of each store, advertising special opening week deals. Coupons for Target product deals will be included in the mailers. These flyers and coupons will continue to be sent out weekly as is common in the Winnipeg market.

 

·         Store opening will be April 19, 2013 and opening week will take place April 19-28, 2013. There will be an opening ceremony and cookies as well as free coffee or hot chocolate from Starbucks will be served.

 

·         The president of Target Canada will be present at each store opening and will hold a press release prior to the opening and the day after the store opening.
 

·         The Target store opening will also include prominent people from the community. They will be educators and representatives from some of the causes that Target will support, such as United Way, Salvation Army, Heart and Stroke Foundation, and others.

·         Throughout opening week, there will be opportunities for draws and the possibility of winning free merchandise. There will be special sales and promotions planned throughout the opening week.

 

·         During opening week, April 19-28, 2013, Target will donate not only the regular 5% REDcard purchase profits, but 10% of its local store profits to various community causes, a list of which can be found on their website. This will also be announced at one of the many press conferences prior to opening.

    Now, how excited are you that Target is coming to town, eh?! I, for one, have started a whole new love affair with this red beast.

            http://www.milkandcoco.ca/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/target-loves-canada1.jpg

 

blog post comments #2 #3 #4

Comment #4

Post: How to Ride the Buzz Wave of Big Events

As a student  of PR, I find the concept of piggyback PR quite intriguing. I think it’s a great way to get the most bang for your buck. The example you mentioned about Oreo Cookie taking advantage of the successful Mars landing to put out a humorous picture, put a smile of my face. And a good feeling about the Oreo brand. I really enjoy the creative thinking behind this kind of concept.

On the other hand, there are some terrible examples out there of piggyback PR gone too far. You mention the example of Kenneth Cole’s tasteless twitter comment promoting his clothing line after a revolution in North Africa. Along the same line, there was the comment about Aurora trending because of a Kim Kardashian dress, just after the Aurora, Colorado Theater shooting. What is it with these fashion designers/sellers?  This week American Apparel promoted a Hurricane Sandy sale for those bored by the hurricane; another case of piggyback PR gone wrong and a great lesson for a PR student to learn. Your post has inspired me to take advantage of piggyback PR in a tasteful manner such as Oreo Cookie did, but at all costs, to use common sense!

 

 

Comment #3

Post: reply to thread on "In Sandy's wake, should brands shut up on social media?"

I agree with your point. I am sure that Sears is still making a profit on those generators. It just might be less of a profit than they had originally planned for - perhaps they are just breaking even. Of course they will probably sell more than they would otherwise, so that could be good for their bottom dollar, depending on their profit margin. I'm criticizing those businesses that take advantage of a tough situation and try to generate income by piggybacking off a tragedy. I know someone who made a nice chunk of money after 9/11, preying on people's fears by selling gas masks on eBay for a terrific profit...then laughing at the gullibility of these buyers. To me, that kind of behaviour is a money grab. I felt American Apparel’s advertising was in very bad taste.  Who needs more cheap fashion during this particular crisis?! But I agree with you that anyone legitimately working and helping out during a crisis, should absolutely be paid their fair wages. It sure is great though, that there are volunteers and businesses that go that extra mile and donate their time and goods to others during a crisis. When I hear of a business doing that, I want to be their customer.

 

 

Comment #2 

Post: In Sandy's wake, should brands shut up on social media?

People want to support businesses that put people before profit. Sometimes the two can go hand in hand, but sometimes it’s good for a business to take a bit of a profit loss, and share in the suffering along with the people. That’s good PR. I like that Sears took a look at what people need during this crisis and are agreeing to supply generators for a sale price. Hopefully it really is a decent deal and not just a money grab. There is also nothing wrong with a restaurant announcing to its clientele that they are open during this time of upheaval. I’m sure a lot of the restaurants affected by the loss of electricity aren’t able to stay open. However, if there was a lot of‘promotional hype’ with this announcement, as it seems to be with chef Bobby Flay, I would question his sincerity. But I really object to American Apparel’s Hurricane Sandy sale. I’m joining the masses in forever boycotting them. Huge PR gaffe!

 

 

 

Strategy Before Tactics

Coca-Cola Sees Red

I try to make good eating choices. Along with making healthy food selections, comes the benefit of lower calorie choices. This isn’t always the case, but healthy eating habits often mean less caloric intake. However, there is one unhealthy choice that I partake in, although in limited quantities. I sometimes drink diet soda. I know that the best option would be to avoid soda entirely, but I subscribe to the Pareto Principal, also known as the 80-20 rule. Eighty percent of the time I make healthy choices and twenty percent of the time I might eat or drink something to tickle my palate, even if it does keep those extra ten pounds on my body! But I refuse to consume ridiculous amounts of calories by drinking high sugar content soda. Instead, I choose to drink diet soda.

My friends also fall into the 80-20 rule: eighty percent of them have dietary habits similar to mine, and twenty percent choose to eat whatever they feel like eating. It’s interesting to note that my ‘twenty percent’ group of friends are very quick to criticize me when they see me drinking my diet drink, while they gulp down large regular sodas, along with fries, donuts and other items on my ‘never-ever-eat’ list. They are convinced I will die of brain cancer, due to the aspartame ‘poison’ in the soda.  I do make a point of limiting my aspartame intake to very small amounts – not the large amounts given to rats in experiments. I’ve done my research...I know what I’m doing.
 

Those in the diet-soda-is-okay school of thought verses the diet-soda-will-kill-you school of thought can be quite adamant about their opinions. It was into this tangled web that Coca-Cola met a PR disaster last Christmas.
 

Coca-Cola is a company which has obviously had a lot of PR experience, both positive and negative. One of their most successful re-branding efforts included using the polar bear as their advertising mascot, introduced very successfully into the North American market in 1993.
 

However, one of their biggest campaign disasters was the 1985 Coke formula-change, known as "New Coke". You would think they would’ve learned from this. Before deciding upon a strategy and going forth with a new plan, every campaign must build a strong foundation of research, understanding their stakeholders, having their objectives and goals in place along with their key messages. Coca-Cola knows this, yet they failed again just a year ago.

 

In October of 2011, Coca-Cola introduced a new colour into their Holiday cans of Coke. Instead of the traditional red cans, they brought out white cans. Their intentions were good. They wanted to use this colour change in a new campaign called "Arctic Home" that would bring donations and awareness to the efforts expended by WWF (World Wildlife Fund) to protect the polar bears’ habitat. Perhaps Coca-Cola spent all of their research on people’s perceptions about the polar bears' plight and how their public would react to the idea of supporting WWF. Their research, objectives, strategy and key messages regarding this part of the campaign were probably very well-done. However, they didn’t think deep enough and go far enough with their assessment.

 

Coca-Cola was reminded how fickle their public can be. Yes, their public was glad the WWF was going to help save the polar bears. But, Coca-Cola confused a big part of their public when they changed the can colours from red to white. Going with white cans meant that the diet drinkers’ silver cans were quite similar in colour. Remember the opinionated crowds that either wanted to drink only diet soda, or only non-diet soda? Well, horrors! Diet drinkers were buying the white cans instead of the silver cans and getting real-sugar cola, along with all those extra calories! No wonder we, the diet-drinking-public, gained all that weight over Christmas last year! Others avoided the white cans because they assumed they were diet drinks. Many people felt that “abandoning red was blasphemy.”  [1]

“Some consumers complained that it looked confusingly similar to Diet Coke’s silver cans. Others felt that regular Coke tasted different in the white cans. Still others argued that messing with red bordered on sacrilege.” [2]

                                                         http://teachthe4ps.com/coke.jpg

We can only assume that Coca-Cola did not take enough time to research and survey their publics regarding the actual can-colour change. Even though the drink was not altered in any way; even though the beloved polar bear icon was not only promoting the drink, but was being helped by the sales of it; the entire campaign was a big flop. A great overall idea met failure because a small detail was not researched thoroughly enough. This is a great lesson and case study for us as PR students. Let’s remember this and hopefully we can avoid ever making this kind of PR strategy error.

 

References:

---

[1] http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2068952/Coca-Cola-ditch-festive-snow-white-customers-mistake-Diet-Coke.html

[2] http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/1096542--coke-can-goes-back-to-red

 

 

The Foundation of Research

MPHI.org
 

                  

So, I’ve been asked to put together a Public Relations campaign. What’s the first step I would take? Research! It’s important that I create a strong foundation with solid research.


What to research?


First, I will learn all I can about the specific product, company, service or public personality I’ve been asked to work with.

One of my research goals would be to find out everything possible about my target segments, my stakeholders and my publics. This will determine the type of voice used for the campaign, what kind of strategy to use and what the key message will be. I will want to align the campaign message with their worldview, with their habits and behaviour, and with their beliefs.

I will also need to research what the consumer trends are, what the needs, wants, opinions, problems and buying habits are.

I also can’t forget to follow current events, internationally, nationally and locally so that I’m always aware io anything that could affect the campaign either positively or negatively.

As I research I will become educated, knowledgeable, perhaps even an ‘expert’ in this field. Having set up objectives and goals, I will research the strengths, the weaknesses, the opportunities and the threats of the campaign.

Solid research will enable me to be prepared during any press conferences or meetings with my stakeholders and publics. My goal would be to be able to answer all questions that might come up, with informed, clear and concise responses.

Lastly, I need to conduct evaluative research. Were the objectives met, goals achieved, publics and stakeholders reached in a successful way? I will need to measure and evaluate the outcome of the campaign.
 

How will I actually get this research?


One of the first ways to start my research would be to talk with whoever hired me for the campaign - to flesh out the objectives, the goal and also find out more about the product, company or object of our campaign. Some of the methods I’ll use would be taking polls and surveys or speaking with a focus group that represents my public, my target audience. Getting first-hand information in this way is called primary research data; research that I am personally gathering. This is effective in that I can ask precise questions I might have, that are specific to my particular PR campaign. I may want to do a trial run of my campaign with a focus group, perhaps even letting them try out the product if there is one and getting feedback about it, in order to be even better prepared. Social media will be an important tool that I'll access throughout this process. Primary research involves a lot of listening and processing the feedback in a way that will bring positive results for the campaign.

One of the most obvious ways of researching is to find online databases, to find secondary research – research that has already been done by others. This might give me information about consumer buying trends, the specific demographic I’m attempting to reach, the habits, successes and failures of similar companies, and of similar PR campaigns. There are many ways to access secondary research. The internet is a major resource, as are journals, articles, blogs, libraries, and much more.

Both qualitative and quantitative research will be used during these processes. Quantitative research is ‘hard’ data, measurable and more structured. This might be statistical data, or perhaps structured techniques such as mall interviews, telephone polls, panel studies or one-to-one interviews. This might be followed by qualitative research which is more unstructured and usually non-statistical. However, it can provide insights into possible problems or positive outcomes. The amount of feedback may be less, since the audience is often smaller than quantitative research polls, but with the use of open-ended questions the respondents may provide feedback in a way that is unexpected, or that was overlooked by the campaign team. Social media can be a wonderful tool throughout this process. Qualitative research allows us to gain more understanding of underlying motivations and potential pitfalls that we can avoid.


Why spend so much time, effort and money in research?
 

The effective campaign is built upon solid research. Without this strong foundation the entire campaign will collapse. What is gained throughout the research process will determine the strategy that is used for this particular campaign. It will determine the type of key message, it will mimic the voice of our publics - speaking in their lingo, seeking out their wants, touching their emotions, and creating in them a desire for our product. The entire strategy of the campaign can only be decided upon once the research is completed and analyzed. The effectiveness and scuccess of the campaign is hinged on this research process.

Lastly, the evaluative research will provide the company with ongoing effective strategies. This evaluation will be a constant throughout the campaign and even once the campaign has run its course. Research in PR, as this post states over and over, is crucially important!
 

Introduction to Christine Alongi

Below you will find my blog about my meeting with a local Public Relations expert. I chose to interview Christine Alongi, Winnipeg Airport Authority’s director of communications and public affairs. Since I work in the tourism industry, I have had interest in our new international airport and also the visitors that come through the airport who come to visit our beautiful city of Winnipeg. I've seen Christine on news spots and felt she would be an excellent choice as my interview subject. Shortly after we received our assignment, I called Christine, explaining the assignment; she was very willing to meet with me. I met her at her office by the airport the morning of October 2. Christine's PR journey started with a University of Winnipeg Arts degree followed by a diploma in business administration from Red River College. She worked for Moffit Communications for a number of years as a project manager for a variety of media groups, always in a corporate environment. She was hired by the Winnipeg Airport Authority in 2003, creating a new position as director of communications and public affairs. She is a "Powerhouse", in my opinion. I think you will agree once you've read the blog below.

Christine Alongi

Public Relations Expert

Working at  Supersonic Speed!

The fattest binders I’ve ever seen! This is one of the things that struck me during my interview with Christine Alongi, Winnipeg Airport Authority’s director of communications and public affairs, on October 2.  The amount of work each binder entails is mind-boggling. Each binder signifies just one event. It is full of press releases and detailed instructions.  Almost every item in the binder is written by Christine – hundreds of pages, well-written and very organized. As I flipped through this mountain of material, Christine shared with me the importance of setting goals and how to successfully achieve them by planning for every possible scenario. She sends out detailed press releases, background information, writes speeches, and sets up social media plans, communication plans, and specific goals for each task. Writing is a very large part of her career and she emphasized how important it is to always know the key messages of communication for every event and situation, allowing very clear communication with her team, the media and the public.

Christine organizes a Meet and Greet for Olympian Desiree Scott

Christine has organized many large events such as the opening of the new Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson Airport terminal and many meet and greet events at the airport. Christine was team lead for Queen Elizabeth’s visit to Winnipeg in July of 2010. Queen Elizabeth and her entourage were the first passengers to use Winnipeg’s new airport terminal before the terminal was even open to the public. Not only was there the challenge of the arrival of Her Royal Majesty the Queen, but the arrival was at an airport that was still a year away from completion. The Queen would have a group of 1200 people waiting to greet her at the airport. Not one detail was permitted to be overlooked or allowed to go wrong. Christine’s organization, clear writing and communication skills shone throughout this event. After 100 practice runs, the day of the event went off without a hitch. Christine did her job magnificently and was able to receive personal thanks from the queen herself.

Christine Alongi speaks about the Queen's arrival at the new Winnipeg airport terminal.

While I was interviewing Christine in her office, I felt an underlying current of activity. It was as if all kinds of electronic gadgets were hovering, sometimes buzzing and dinging, ringing and pinging, waiting for me to finish so they could get on with the work they required of Christine. The phones were vibrating, and ringing, the airport radios crackling and talking in the background, the Twitter accounts, Facebook page, emails, blogs, media requests and airport staff waiting for her return. At one point her “ready alert system” alarm went off. That was the second time that day. The first time it went off was in the early hours of the morning when the airport was asked for assistance in the firefighting efforts of the large St. Boniface fire going on during the night. Although the airport equipment wasn’t able to be used for this particular purpose, she was able to have a special type of firefighting foam put on standby. Thankfully her second alert of the morning didn’t require her to run off and cut short our interview. Christine also has a 24 hour media line phone number which CBC took advantage of during the night. She is prepared to deal with any situation that might come up, ready to share and keep open all lines of communication with the media and the public. I couldn't help but wonder if she gets any sleep!

Christine belongs to a number of organizations including CPRS, IABC, the Canadian Airports Council, a local crisis communication group and many others. She has been a guest speaker at all of them and also speaks to the PR students at Red River Community College every term. Her PR journey started with a University of Winnipeg Arts degree followed by a diploma in business administration from Red River College. She worked for Moffit Communications for a number of years as a project manager for a variety of media groups, always in a corporate environment. Her career has taught her to respect media, to understand the deadlines and pressures of  their job thereby allowing her to have a very positive relationship with media in her present role. She was hired by the Winnipeg Airport Authority in 2003, creating a new position as director of communications and public affairs.

 

Before our interview came to a close, Christine shared some key PR tips with me. She reminded me that stakeholder relations are very important, not to be afraid to contact them, and to always keep communication lines open. She stressed that it is important to know your audience, to engage in your community, to dialogue and never forget to listen to them. Most importantly, to be successful as a PR professional, you must plan, plan, plan and make sure to measure and evaluate every plan.

As busy as Christine is, she never made me feel like I was an intrusion in her day. Instead she was warm and engaging and willing to answer all my questions as well as email me samples of some of her events and media relations projects. She made me feel as if this interview was just as important to her as all of her other interviews. Since I work in the tourism industry, I was interested to see what kind of PR work our international airport receives and from my first call to Christine, she was inviting and open and ended up giving me a full hour of her time. As I left she was heading off to another interview, this time with the local radio station CJOB. I came away from this interview in awe of what a truly successful efficient public relations expert can achieve...all while looking professional and keeping a smile on her face.

 

 

comment to blog by Monica Robertson

Therese Gerhard  22 September 2012 18:18 

My first introduction to the idea of PR was through movies and TV shows. PR seemed to be about promoting sports and Hollywood personalities or companies that wanted to persuade us to buy more stuff. Stuff we didn’t necessarily need. It didn’t seem like a career that would provide benefit to humankind. Of course my opinion has changed! After all, I am choosing to work in this field:) I do feel that there are PR careers out there that educate, that promote goodwill, and truly benefit humanity. Monica –your example is exactly the reason I have come to appreciate the work of conscientious PR professionals. I think it is so important to get out a positive message for the agricultural industry. As a public we need to be reminded that we are dependent on the agricultural industry. Farmers certainly need to make a living. If it’s not financially viable for them, they will move on to other types of careers and we will all lose out. You have a very important message to keep sharing with Canadians and the rest of the world. Monica, help us to appreciate the agricultural industry and remind us that we owe them a huge thank you!

Grab your baton and start conducting your public relations orchestra!

image by Frits Ahlefeldt via publicdomainpictures.net   

A Public Relations professional has much the same role as a conductor does during the playing of a musical score. They both require training, knowledge, expertise, artistry and an emotional involvement and connection with the audience, the orchestra members, or in the case of PR, the organization represented and its public.

A conductor must know where she is going with the musical selection. She has studied the musical score and is not only familiar with every part of it,   but as an artist, she feels the message of the piece and knows what message she wants the audience to receive. She knows which instruments or voices to bring in at exactly the right moment, at what volume, with what speed and intensity, and in a way that seems seamless and effortless. She is the master of the musical universe at that moment; she is the emotion of the musical piece, bringing a connection between the audience and the music.

Public relations professionals must be prepared, aware of all the different pieces and situations within the specific organization they represent and anticipate every possible outcome. As with a musical score, the plan needs to be well organized, laid out, studied and committed to. All of the pieces, all of the team members and even the actual public become part of this public relations orchestra.

It’s important for the PR representative to research and carefully select the message and the method of communication the organization wants to share with its public. Using the analogy of a musical performance, a conductor would focus on choosing a genre of music that the audience will appreciate.  After all, if the audience prefers classical music, then country music might provoke a walk-out rather than an enthusiastic “Bravo!” Know your audience and your public. If you still choose to introduce a bold new style, be prepared to educate, encourage, persuade, pacify and of course, eventually evaluate whether the new message or product was met with open minds and resounding success.

The journey of a successful Public Relations Representative can be creative, exciting, stressful, yet rewarding. The goal is to bring a positive, mutually beneficial relationship between the organization and the public. At the end of the task, the PR team is hoping for positive feedback and a job well-done. In musical terms that would mean hearing appreciative applause and being able to bow, with a flourish of the baton!