Edelman Hong Kong

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[edelmanhkinterns]

America to Hong Kong: My Journey with Edelman

Let me begin by saying, I am not a typical PR intern. At school in the United States, I study business of the extremely quantitative variety. I had very little formal training in communications before I came to Hong Kong, all I had were the experiences I gained in other internships or positions.  So then why Public Relations in a foreign country where I understand nothing of the local language?  Simple, it was a challenge. A challenge to adjust to the culture, to learn the industry and to live on my own in a foreign country.

Diversity

My first week at Edelman was made easier by my amazing coworkers and fellow interns who helped me to transit into the Edelman culture without much trouble. At first, I thought the language barrier will be challenging but all my local coworkers made an effort to speak English so as not to alienate me, which I really appreciate. They also taught me local customs such as tapping the table when you are served tea by someone and how to properly eat dim sum, two skills I will take back to the States for sure.

I was also able to observe different cultures working together in such a diverse work place like Edelman.  At home, most people you work with are local or at least American as well. In our Hong Kong office, there must be at least 10 different countries represented by employees. It’s very interesting to see how well everyone gets along and works together despite accents and different cultural habits. Creating a culture where everyone contributes their best, an environment with openness and mutual respect.

Dim Sum lunch with my teammates.

Forever Discovering and Applying

Slowly but surely, I became more comfortable with my position and the work I was doing. I learned so much about the PR industry within my first four weeks. I learned how to draft pitches and pull out meaningful research for clients. Through the mentorship and patient teaching of my line managers, I was able to gain useful skills. I loved having “Lunch and Learn” sessions every week which is part a training program designed to help staff to increase skillset and knowledge. It also provides an inside look at the PR industry in a way that was similar to a classroom setting.

At Edelman, I was pleasantly surprised to see that even the top leadership in the company will be open to hear your ideas and see value in your work. Being an intern at Edelman means knowing you will be gaining a wealth of knowledge and never being taken for granted. Through meetings I was able to sit on for multiple clients, I was able to see how a PR plan for a company is created from inception. I got to see the very beginnings of a social media strategy for a company and the on-going processes of another.  Having had these moments going back to school will be invaluable for me as I will be able to utilize them. This kind of experience is especially unusual for business students my age to have, which makes it all the more valuable.

Every day is a new challenge

A part of the reason why I love Edelman and PR is that no two days are the same. I could come into work one day and work on a pitch email and then do research on the luxury hotel industry the next day. This variation makes the week so much fun and educational. I feel as if I was able to work with so many different clients that I got insight into at least 4 different industries during my time here.

My teammate Jim, a local Hong Konger!

Throughout my time here, I made some really great connections with the people I work with. I’ve had coworkers recommend things to do when I leave for Japan, trying in vain to teach me how to say the correct pronunciations of the neighborhoods. They’ve taught me about the culture here and were so eager to hear about my life in the States. It was the cross-cultural learning experience everyone talks about gaining when they go abroad but so rarely get. I have learned so much from them and will remember them when I move on from Edelman for this. This experience has been one that I will never forget, for the people I met, things I saw and the lessons I’ve learned. I will always credit Edelman for my first real foray into the world of PR and will forever be grateful for such an amazing experience.

By Tanvi Kulkarni

[edelmanhkinterns]

EDELMAN, Beyond Imagination

Energetic

All great achievements start with passion, energy and motivation. People at Edelman have always been passionate about providing public relations counsel and strategic communication services to help clients build strong relationships; and influence attitudes and behaviors in a complex world.

Diligence

Diligence defines ideas and concepts when they start to take shape. It is of paramount importance to bury your head in for a purpose and create a culture around it when it comes to starting up a project. It is often said that great leaders and great companies never dreamed about success, but work for it. Only by being persevere can people at Edelman focus on creating the best strategic communication services to their clients.

Eulogizing

People at Edelman celebrate at all times. When a team experiences success, we do not brush over it, return to our desks and continue working towards the next goal without acknowledging what we achieved. Eulogizing among the team not only motivates the team to continue delivering good work, but also unifies the team around positive outcomes. Whether it is about signing a new client or promoting one of our team members, we celebrate at Edelman!

Crystal Poon got promoted as manager! Yay!

Learning

Edelman never neglects the importance of training and development. Edelman Learning Institute (ELI) provides training throughout the year during Lunch & Learn sessions. We are also given a personalized booklet which details all available courses offered throughout the year. Courses range from exploring new ideas, articulating trust to writing creatively. This helps build the Edelman community as a whole and fosters learning, understanding and personal growth.

ELI Booklet 2016

Mentoring

At Edelman, mentoring programmes are provided to help and guide new interns. Colleen is my line manager as well as my mentor. She is very willing to share with me her skills, knowledge and expertise. She also demonstrates a positive attitude and exhibits the personal attributes it takes to be a successful public relation practitioner. Besides that, she always provide me with plentiful guidance, constructive feedback and useful insights on how to improve in my next task. Now, I am more confident when completing tasks such as drafting press releases and media invitations. Thank you so much, Colleen! 

Assisting

Success is a team sport. No individual can run a company or organization on his or her own. At Edelman, there is a strong feedback culture. Everyone is willing to assist each other and provide feedback for us to learn and improve. We always spend time sharing our motivations and what we care about, which is also why the consumer team is such a good fit for each other. No one is born successful so we all have to work hard to become successful.

Story-telling time among the Consumer Team. With great food and drinks of course!

Nimble

People at Edelman are smart, passionate and curious. We embrace differences and diversity in terms of culture, background, experience and opinion; which are all recognized as the ability to deliver insightful and creative client programs. Edelman values relentless pursuit of excellence, freedom, curiosity and courage to do the right thing.

To me, the above seven values that I got inspired at Edelman can be applicable to different people in different age groups and occupations. If you are passionate about changing the world, having a clear vision to execute as well as team-building skills are key ingredients for anyone who wants to become a leader. What I learned at Edelman is not confined to practical skills such as conducting news monitoring and drafting press releases; but most importantly, I learnt the reason behind the unprecedented success of the Edelman team. I am determined to apply these seven elements in my life journey thereafter.

In the end, I would love to excerpt a quote by Mark Zuckerberg.

“To all the dreamers: it is because you refuse to recognize the impossible that breathtaking innovation happens.”

By Cindy Au

Consumer Marketing Practice

[edelmanhkinterns]

Coming together is only the Beginning

What is it like being a student intern? Occupying your days with photocopying, binding files and other miscellaneous jobs? After working as an intern at Edelman’s consumer marketing practice for over a month, my answer is an absolute NO. Edelman is indeed a very special workplace where you would look forward to and what makes it such a special and magical place is our people.

The only limitation is your imagination

Before joining the team, I tried imagining the life of a PR consultant and dreamt of working under glamourous spotlights and strutting around in heels. In fact, the experiences I gained at Edelman are far beyond my imagination. I was given ample chances to integrate into the agency, develop all-rounded skills and earn valuable exposures to the PR field. I was quite nervous about the scope of work before getting on board, but in reality my colleagues always encouraged me to explore different opportunities to develop myself in ways that I desired. It is also heartwarming to know that my supervisor and team seniors care about how I can learn the most from experiences

As for myself, I am the kind of person who never settles and is always on the lookout for opportunities to discover possibilities and thus gaining satisfaction. As an intern, I am able to participate client events, attend external meetings and engage in cross-team projects which allow me to learn from great individuals of diverse backgrounds and picture the real lives of PR consultants. There are always opportunities for Edelman interns to open up to challenges and get boundless career inspirations.

Be passionate, be curious

At a Lunch & Learn session where we enjoyed pizzas and consolidated what we learnt.

Apart from the thrilling experiences mentioned above, news monitoring is another typical job for PR professionals. It is very important to track media reports because they uncover important trends and insights for businesses. This serves as a good channel for our clients to make better decisions and respond to the market and community. Through daily efforts of looking into the news, I have deepened my understanding of different industries and society. A good PR professional should be a good storyteller whilst a good storyteller must be a great reader. I find myself opening up to the gate of unlimited treasury and unleashing my inner curiosity to see the world with new perspectives.

Another enlightening element at Edelman is its unique training programme. There is a special theme each month to encourage different activities and discussions in the office during a Lunch & Learn session. When you work in the fast-pace and competitive PR industry, you never stop learning, adapting or even leading trends in a bid to strike out. As an upcoming graduate, the most valuable lesson I gained here is to never stop learning.

Together wE Achieve More (TEAM)

Chinese New Year dinner with teammates.

It is incredible to work at a diverse place like Edelman because you get to work with marvelous people across the office to make dreams come true. I am also amazed by the team’s unconditional support for each other and feel so supported by everyone’s patience when coaching newbies like me. We never complete tasks alone at Edelman because being a team means Together wE Achieve More.

So what do we do outside of work? We love bonding over cupcakes and chocolates and pulling funny faces at the camera. I will never forget the team’s excitement when planning our Chinese New Year dinner which really helped ease my jumpiness from attending my very first meeting at Edelman!

Celebrating our Senior Director, Andres’, birthday

So far, it has been a holistic experience full of joy and laughter at Edelman. People here care for each other and everyone’s voices are heard. We also enjoy life as much as we do for work. I am really looking forward to my journey ahead at Edelman and I am sure you do, too!

By Carrie Wong

[edelmanhkinterns]

Living with Edelman spirits

Hi! It's Kris again from the Consumer Marketing Team. My Edelman journey has been quite a life-changing adventure. When facing all the uncertainty, I’ve managed to grow from within. The fast-changing PR industry surprises me every day with all seemingly unachievable tasks. Making the impossible possible earns me a lot of filling moments which is incomparable to any other forms of satisfaction.

IKEA New Range Launch (Top); Starbucks Gala Place Opening (Bottom)

Life at Edelman feels like living in a circus, where gathers all the excitement, fantasy, dedication and perspiration, in celebration of the flying success for the entire team. Being a part of it, I can feel a strong team spirit that ties every one of us together. The passion for excellence is filled in the air which motivates me to pursue better achievements. Engaged in several cross-team projects, I have taken this privilege to work with other talents from every team, which in turn has enriched and cultivated my skills with various PR perspectives.

The humanity of Edelman is nurtured by its social responsibility.

Being a social science student, I envision my job that enables me to bring positive impacts on our society, and even on the world.  The active engagement in global issues connect Edelman to the world, leading us to be responsible global citizens. I have witnessed and participated in campaigns like Pink Day in support of Pink Revolution, Movember which raises funds and awareness for men's health, donations to Feeding Hong Kong that brings food and hope to people in need, among innumerable others.

Consumer Team in the Pink Day.

"Play, Rewind, Forward."

These 3 steps are best to summarize how we work to maintain our reputation as the world largest PR agency.

"Play" as in "do it". We don't just work hard, we devote ourselves into every client account to make sure our best is delivered to them. When crisis comes, we closely monitored the media and market around the clock, even when it is on holiday.

"Rewind" as in "think back and always revise". Our inclination to perfection makes us to be obsessed with checking on our own work. It is very common for us to think back and revise a document for a few times before sending it for client's approval.

"Forward" as in "being visionary". After all these time, my sensitivity towards market news and creative ideas has been enormously sharpened. During team meetings, we always share new and creative campaigns to inspire each other. Absorbing new ideas enables us to think bold, and one step ahead. Many of us enjoyed the 100Most Best Music Awards Presentation. But behind the scene, it is actually Edelman that lined up with the sponsorship and generated a huge PR value. Our visionary thinking push us moving forward to excellence.

Reflection is the inspiration for improvements.

I was once asked by our Managing Director Andrew Kirk, "What do you think about 'output' and 'outcome'?". For me, output is just something you produce; while outcome is something you achieve. The answer seems simple, but it carries a deep reflection behind. Attitude always matter. My internship at Edelman makes me realize that it is not just getting the job done, but aiming to achieve better results. The essence of it all is to understand why we do and what we do. Whenever I am delegated with a task, I always think about "why". Why the client needs it? And why we should complete it in this way instead of another? Why me? My line manager, Nicole, who has been my greatest support all the way long, inspired me that "Always think about how to add your own value on a task". It is proven that the wisdom has helped me a lot to keep improving myself.

As always, we make sure fun and joy to stay with us. Having joined quite a number of parties, my friends always doubt if I am really working in the company. Actions speak louder than words. Get on board, and discover it yourself.

Edelman Christmas Party 2015 at Kinsale

By Kris Lam

[edelmanhkinterns]

Work Hard, Play Hard, Sing Proud and Dance More!

What does an intern usually do? Fetching coffee every morning, making copies for the rest of the day and sometimes delivering mails to different departments? Let me tell you what interns do here at Edelman.  We participate in all kinds of thrilling activities to dive into the PR field while discovering our fullest potentials, because we correspond with the spirits of Edelman – work hard, play hard, sing proud and dance more! So here’s what I am going to share with you – the spirits of Edelman and be prepared to be impressed!

WORK HARD

My internship was kicked off with a whirlwind of activities and events. Within the first two weeks, I have already attended a panel discussion and a media tasting event.  I was given plenty of opportunities to involve in the planning of client campaign, contribute ideas. During brain storming session, I have learned to take a bold step and raise our voice is always being welcomed! Creativity isn't a talent you either have or you don't, it's a skill that you can build with practices. Sometimes simple thoughts might seem impossible can turn into something brilliant. We work hard to go beyond our client’s expectations and we all strive to deliver quality work.

Learning session by Edelman staff from New York office

On Thursday night (Nov 26), we have helped our NGO client, Make-A-Wish Foundation, to organize and launch their annual Christmas Market event. I am very excited to have this opportunity to contribute to pro-bono work. I worked hard with my teams to drive this great cause and supported our community to make magical wishes for children for life-threatening illnesses. In less than 2 weeks, we have to prepare for this event. A lot of hard work has to put in but it turned out to be huge success! Such experience is so rewarding!

PLAY HARD

Last week, we had a Halloween party in the office and we are all thrilled about this annual event. Shortly a week before, we are anxious in planning of the theme and ideas of our costumes. We all aim at the same goal – how can we stand out and win the highly competitive costume contest! Each team dressed up according to their theme and try to scare everyone with their special make up. Moreover, there is a Halloween committee helping to organize from decorations, selected special food items and also invited our guests & kids to join us. The office was transformed into a spooky environment with all different themes. All of these ‘hard work’ and committed to ‘play hard’ are very impressive.

Halloween Party 2015

SING PROUD

Our team are not shy to share our success and let others to learn from it, of course cheering for it as well! We are willing to share our stories on how we make that event being held so successfully. For instance, we had launched a press conference following by a cocktail party to celebrate the 2nd anniversary of our client and that party was a blast! It had drawn lots of media attention and the team shared their way of being so successful with us. Furthermore, two colleagues of us were also shortlisted as the “Rising Star” in the Marketing - PR Awards 2015. One of them was being recognized as the very best in Hong Kong and we are the only agency with 2 people shortlisted in this category. With all the achievements we have made, we ‘sing proud’!

DANCE MORE

We all have our own beat, our own ways that lead us to success. Everyone respect what you are doing and they trust that you can do it. This is why I enjoy every moment working at Edelman, I feel fully integrated within my team and I can’t wait to develop further into the PR industry with the spirits of Edelman! 

By Francis Lee   

[edelmanhkinterns]

Behind the scenes of an Edelman Consumer Marketing intern:

Hi, I’m Minnie and I have been working in the consumer marketing practice for over a month. Ever since I started working in the PR industry, a lot of my friends and family kept asking me the same question, “what exactly do you do?” Many believe that the job is all about reading magazines, attending parties and meeting celebrities… However, in reality, a PR consultant’s role is much more than what meets the eye. The role encompasses many responsibilities and is a versatile job that focuses on aiding and supporting clients’ business, so today I am going to reveal the life of a PR intern!

Media Monitoring

Media monitoring is one of the most crucial as well as common tasks performed in PR. My first task of the day is to start researching news related to our clients’ business as well as industry trends using various research tools. This is an extremely important part of our work given that it enables clients to keep up to date with the changing environment within their market and manage their corporate/branding reputation. Furthermore, we can also help to gather industry intelligence, to help our clients to better understand their competitors. By having the latest information at hand, it allows the client to have an edge over the competition.

Media Pitching

The goal of media pitching is to convince journalists to take our press releases and subsequently write their own article. However, journalists are often busy with their work and they receive stacks of press releases on a daily basis. One of our objectives is to understand how to catch the journalists’ interest when we are sending press releases. The next thing is the follow-up calls are very important. The purpose of follow-up calls are to ensure the journalist has received the press release we sent to him/her through email, highlight the main points and just to refresh their memory in an engaging way. At first, I got extremely nervous about calling journalists and prepared a script, I still stumbled over my words as soon as I got on the phone. Through my internship so far, I have learnt about the important thing like familiarising myself with the content and preparing what I’m going to say. Once I’m more confident, I’ll be able to speak smoothly.  Moreover, I also understand the techniques of writing a press release and how to do a good media pitch. This technique is also applied when we are organizing client’s event and required media attendance.

Event Management

Here comes my favourite part of all – attending actual events! A successful event definitely requires a lot of planning and preparation. That is why as part of our service, we offer strategies to our clients on how to launch their brand/product more effectively and successfully. We also help our clients to identify creative approaches in organising their events. Our role in PR does not end here, as mentioned earlier it is important to do media pitching before an event. What we offer our client is our great media relations to earn free media coverage.

There are several skills that I have learned how to effectively manage an event. For example, it is crucial to have excellent time management, how to communicate better and always attended to detail. Problem solving is also an important skill set. To have a successful event, a lot of hard work and team effort are fundamental.

Our Motto

At Edelman, our motto is “work hard, play hard, sing loud, dance more”! This is just self-explanatory and recently, I experienced the amazing annual Edelloween bash at the office which I strongly understand staff at Edelman Hong Kong is strongly living by this motto!

Check out the photos here and the amazing costumes and make-up of our staff at our recent Halloween party! Also our little guests crazy over the “trick and treat”!

By Minnie Cheung

[edelmanhkinterns]

PR, Marketing and Work-Life-Balance

Hi! My name is Claudia Leung and I recently graduated from the University of Manchester where I studied International Business, Finance and Economics.  Although I have always known that I wanted a career in marketing, I’ve always been intrigued by public relations, hence I thought, where better than to learn about this industry then at Edelman, the largest PR agency in the world.

 My position at Edelman is within the corporate practice involved in two teams – the internal marketing team and the business + social purpose. The tasks assigned included drafting press releases, creating pro-bono client event invitations, posters, packages and event proposals which I will be assisting in organizing at a later date.  I have also experienced contacting media, updating media lists and reaching out to third party vendors. There are several upcoming activities that I will need to help and planning for a client’s event. 

Social Media Content Calendar

As for my marketing role, I am given the responsibility of ensuring that Edelman’s social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and the intern blog are updated daily. With this task, I learnt how to create a social media content calendar. I understand the significance of why we have to prepare for a content calendar and here are a few points to share.

1.    It can help us to motivate our audience and what interest them so as to make a connection to our brand.

2.    It made the flow of content on social media platforms consistent so that we can maximize engagement.

3.    It can highlight any gaps therefore, we could plan ahead of time to think of ideas to publish.

4.    It can map time-sensitive content ahead of time and allows flexibility to any real-time activities to slip in.

My daily tasks involve exploring multiple global Edelman channels for interesting announcements, insights, blog posts or news concerning the PR & marketing industry. I also look through multiple Twitter accounts to stay up to date among Edelman offices around the globe – constantly updating the calendar content for the latest news/activities.

With this research, I prepare a weekly calendar of which I have to update daily in case new content arises.  From the content calendar, I have to prepare a caption for what we publish and always keeping it in mind that we must understand our stakeholders and connect the content to them and their interests.  The benefit of doing this is that it increases the awareness of the Edelman brand in Hong Kong and beyond.

I can honestly say that at Edelman, they definitely believe in giving responsibilities to their interns, treating them like full-time employees, which really makes this whole experience both worthwhile and rewarding. To help marketing the Edelman brand further is also a great achievement from my work.

Time Management

 On top of the responsibilities that Edelman gives their interns, they really advocate a positive training culture and invest in their interns by taking the time to train them.  During my time at the agency so far, I have experienced several training sessions and also two sessions on time management skills which is led by our regional director of employee engagement, Shirley Dirkin.  What these sessions taught me were how to prioritize, multi-task, schedule realistically and manage expectations.  Shirley introduced us to the time management quadrant and I found the quadrant very useful because it presented my deadlines in a more visual and organized manor. This has helped me perfectly when planning for the social media content calendar.

Shirley gave us great advice on how to live a more balanced life and reducing the amount of pressure we add with work.  She also asked us discuss what aspects of our life we thought we didn’t have enough of, for e.g. spending time with family or going to the gym.  

Time management training by Shirley Dirkin.

Work Life Balance

Learning from Shirely, I found the time management skills are essential. This week is “Work Life Balance Week (26-30 Oct)” which provides a platform for organisations to demonstrate their commitment to work-life balance and raises awareness.

At Edelman, as the balance between work and play is deeply imbedded in the company culture. We have planned to have our annual Halloween party with lots of kids invited to celebrate together, dressing in costumes and plenty of candies as ‘treat’. I can’t wait to experience this when the whole office will be transformed to different theme by each team and piñata, haunted house and scary faces.

Photo from 2014 Halloween party

As part of the work life balance initiative, all employees are “free @ 3” on the last Friday of October and we can leave work early! Stay tuned on our social media platforms, we will share more.

Finally, I am very excited for the remainder of my internship as next week I have the second chance to speak at a university for a talk about PR industry and introducing Edelman, another way to market our brand further. I will be presenting on how to kick-start your career in this industry and my experiences as an intern at the top PR agency in the world.

Talking at Chinese University recently about PR & Edelman.

 By Claudia Leung

[edelmanhkinterns]

Four Reasons Why You Should Intern at Edelman HK as a Fresh International Graduate

As a fresh graduate, it can be difficult to know the best way to dip your toe into the corporate pond. Having studied for five years at university in Scotland, many of my friends began to flock to London en masse, leaving me contemplating whether I should be joining them.

As a languages graduate with a passion for communications, I craved an international environment where I would be pushed out of my comfort zone and face thought-provoking challenges. Two weeks later, I flew to Hong Kong to join Edelman as a Content and Studio+ Intern - and I’ve been learning ever since.

So why as a fresh international graduate flee the familiarity of home and head East to Edelman Hong Kong? 1)      Cultural diversity Hong Kong really is a cosmopolitan melting pot of young professionals. The Edelman HK office is something of a microcosm of the city around it, bringing together individuals from across the world. From Hong Kongers, Malaysians and Australians, to Dutch, Americans and Brits: I’m pretty sure our office could start its own UN. It’s the perfect place to pick up a new language, be it through the (completely unofficial) office tradition of ‘French Friday’, or my more novel method of learning Cantonese: sticking Post Its on my desktop.  Questionable language skills aside, the international mix at the Edelman HK office brings together people from a whole spectrum of cultures and backgrounds, and encourages us to celebrate the nuances, like different languages, working styles and cultural habits, which make working with an international team so rewarding.  What’s more, with so many expats and locals alike, the office has an open and welcoming culture which makes it easy to settle in. After all, many of your colleagues have been in your freshly broken-in expat shoes, so there’s a lot of common ground to cover with everyone you meet. 

2)      Lots of responsibility

Interning at Edelman is nothing like I expected; interns are completely integrated into the office in both a social and a professional sense. I’ve attended client meetings and brainstorms, helped on new biz pitches and mini-site launches and even turned my hand to translating some Portuguese – and I’m only half way through my internship!

The immersive approach which Edelman takes towards its interns means that you’ll pick up skills from across the board. Not only have my writing and time management skills improved, I have developed my problem solving and relationship management capabilities, too.

Flexibility is also a key trait of Edelman as a company, so even though my team is officially Content, I’ve worked closely with the Corporate and Consumer teams too, which means I’ve developed a comprehensive overview of the role of Communications Marketing cross-practice at the largest PR firm in the world.

My one word of advice? If you’re looking for an internship which involves coffee-runs and hugging-the-wall, then Edelman probably isn’t for you.

3)      High-profile clients

Edelman represents some of the biggest names in the Asian market, meaning the projects you’re working on are relevant and exciting. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve caught sight of a brand logo when walking around Hong Kong and thought: “Edelman do their PR!”

It’s no secret that the Asia Pacific region is set for massive growth in the coming decade, so receiving such in-depth insight into a market that many of your peers have no knowledge of can only stand you in good stead for your future career – be that in HK or elsewhere around the globe.

 4)      The Hong Kong experience

And if you’re still looking for a reason, this is the view from the Edelman HK office: need I say more?

[edelmanhkinterns]

From Biotechnology to Public Relations

Hi, I’m Alison Wong, a recent graduate from the University of Hong Kong majoring in Biotechnology. I decided I wanted to try PR, specifically PR for healthcare, because I wanted a job that would challenge me to think analytical and creatively.

Interns bonding time at lunch (Alison, second from the left)

When I first started I was a bit perplexed by the tasks given to me. But thanks to “Lunch and Learn”, I quickly learnt more about the PR industry. L&L helps interns and other staff members to continuously learn and improve their skills whilst working. L&L happens on Wednesday afternoons, lunch is provided and we have a staff member, or an external speaker teach us anything and everything about PR and beyond. These courses are tailored to staff at different levels. Interns will be joining any training that are assigned to our level.  Interns will be joining any training that are assigned to our level. 

Within my first month, I have attended two L&L sessions. The first is PR101. This course was really helpful in helping me understand more about what I was doing and why I was doing it. I learnt about the history of PR, the history of Edelman, and what PR is all about.  The most important thing I learnt from that course is PR is continuously evolving due to social media. This means marketing and communications are converging, thus it is important for companies to come up with a consistent and aligned message, service and experience.  The second I attended was open to all levels, Social Purpose and Business, by special speaker Jeremy Cohen, our Global Director, Strategy and Operations, B+SP. This session was all about the importance of “purpose” for companies. Purpose is achieved through CSR and sustainability. Purpose help companies find new business opportunities, more customers, loyal employees, but most importantly builds trust.

Business and social purpose not only drive sales, but also has a positive impact on the world. Through these trainings, I began to understand more about how my job helps companies to reach more of their target customers, and to build and generate goodwill.

(Business and social purpose ‘Lunch & Learn’ session)

In the healthcare practice, the first account I worked on was to pitch to a new potential bio-pharma client. This was a challenging experience. The learning curve was steep but I’m grateful for this experience, as I had the opportunity to quickly learn about the planning process involved and the scope of public relations as an industry. My tasks included researching country regulations on drugs, researching on stakeholders, help coming up with public engagement ideas through campaigns and events, deck making and even designing a mockup campaign poster. Apart from healthcare, I also had the opportunity to help out in other teams within the Corporate practice, including finance companies and property corporations.

PR is a diverse job. Every day is different and each client has a different scope of work. Working in Edelman is exciting, and never boring. So far, I have thoroughly enjoyed my experience working in Edelman, in particularly the healthcare team. 

[edelmanhkinterns]

My Life as a B+SP Intern

When you google “public relations”, Wikipedia’s definition will be the first thing thrown at your face: the practice of managing the spread of information between an individual or an organization and the public. Never did I think that bringing together profit and social purpose could make clients stand out and more importantly, purpose-driven programs and campaigns can really help organizations crystalize their purpose. In a transparent and interconnected world, consumers, employees and other stakeholders are demanding that brands stand for something beyond the bottom line. Edelman’s Business + Social Purpose practice helps clients bring together profit and purpose by delivering authentic programs that make a real impact.

As a B+SP intern

I was an intern in the B+SP team at Edelman and it is quite remarkable how much I can say I have learned in the past two months. It happened to me that Jeremy Cohen, Global Director of Strategy and Operations for the Business + Social Purpose practice, has come to visit Hong Kong and conducted a “Lunch & Learn” session with the whole office. From this session, I now have a clearer picture of where the take of Corporate Social Responsibility stands in the multifaceted public relations industry and the historical campaigns that Edelman has launched. A successful campaign is not measured on the output (amount of work produced) but rather on the impact created.   By trying to count outputs, we were missing what was really driving the business i.e. the outcomes with customers. Measuring the right thing, i.e. people based-results or outcomes can concretely capture the real societal impact.

Sustainability Roundtable

I was assigned the task of preparing a briefing kit upon Jeremy’s arrival and manage the logistics of a roundtable facilitated by Jeremy. Through managing the RSVP and liaising with the venue, I acknowledged the importance of crafting a formal, audience-focused email and learned how to effectively manage a project. The event is a roundtable with a selected group of regional marketing, sustainability and business leaders to share and discuss how sustainability and purpose strategies can drive growth by deepening consumer engagement, sharpening competitive differentiators and bolstering brand trust. This lively discussion sparked interesting conversations around Edelman’s proprietary research, Trust Barometer, on how a company can attract millennials to think from a sustainability perspective when they enter the workforce.

Global findings can be found on global findings and 2015 Hong Kong findings.

Pro-bono work

Citizenship is one of the core values of Edelman. In Hong Kong, staff including interns are being offered an opportunity to support a local non-profit organization (NGO) of their own choice from the selected groups. I chose HandsOn Hong Kong as my charity team. As part of its pro-bono support to HandsOn Hong Kong, Edelman will work with the NGO to raise its profile among the general public. Also to enhance its communications with its stakeholders.

There are various activities that we have to conduct and one of them I have engaged with clients is the messaging workshop. Our regional training & crisis management director, Ray Rudowski, led the planning workshop and I have learnt how to develop an effective messaging that can lead to the development of a communications strategy.  I realized how crucial it was to prioritize targeted stakeholders and influencers before deciding on and positioning with relevant follow-up actions. I was also assigned to do the communication blueprint and work with an awesome team to develop a strategic action plan.

During the brainstorming of possible campaigns, we came up with many eccentric ideas and filtered them through the “feasibility lens”. I have had so much fun discussing all the possible ideas whilst my colleagues could find proof points and create scenarios from my ideas.

I am beyond thankful for this opportunity to work with all these amazing colleagues and how well they embraced me and taught me valuable skills over the past two months. If you want a career in a workplace that is both empowering and fun and celebrates diversity – of culture, of background, of thought… Edelman is the best way to go.

By Jamie Law

[edelmanhkinterns]

We Believe in Giving Back!

“Volunteer. Do work for a hospital, art or music institution or a nonprofit organization.” – Daniel J. Edelman

Why do more companies engaged in corporate social responsibility (CSR)? Nowadays, companies cannot rely on simply be in business for the sake of making a profit.  Large global organizations are eager to develop their unique values and cultures, and demonstrate their good corporate citizenship. Consumers aren't the only ones who are drawn to businesses that give back. Top talents also chooses to work in a company with CSR strategy.

During my  internship, I have many treasurable opportunities to participate in Edelman’s citizenship activities. I am able to explore more and take a closer look to see how PR strategies can be build up and even hands on some charity sessions.

Below let me proudly present my exciting experiences: Edelman’s GWEN and citizenship experience!

Edelman’s Global Women’s Executive Network (GWEN) perfectly showcase how we show up differently as a communications marketing firm with perspicacity. GWEN is an empowered group of people who are committed to networking, mentoring, recruiting, collaborating and career planning for women at Edelman.  The network aims to increase the presence of women leaders at the most senior levels of our firm and create an environment where women are encouraged to lead and succeed. Amanda as one of the member of GEWN team and also the director of the property sector of Consumer Marketing practice, held the GWEN Talk. The topic is on Sexual Diversity in the Workplace, step forward to promote a fair and respectful workplace for all employees.

It is very important to provide a diversify workplace for employee, make everyone dare to be different and respect people who differentiate from them. There are a substantial diversity you can found at Edelman and in the Hong Kong office.

DIVERSITY

Diversity is a big issue and come across different aspects, for example cultural, religious and sexual differences. Sexual diversity in workplace is one of the huge issue for us to discuss nowadays. This learning opportunities play active role to broaden my knowledge. I understand more about how a LGBT friendly workplace would bring benefits to a company and the importance of building a team with love & respect. After the Q&A session of consulting the guest speaker Reggie Ho - the LGBT activist in Hong Kong, I have a wider picture of the current situation of sexual minorities in Hong Kong, and also enhance a lot more of reflections towards the issue. Couldn’t be gladder to stay in an office which pay much attention on social issues and responsibilities, but not only care about business growth. 

Our Goals for Giving – Support the communities where our people live and work.

PRO-BONOs

To further support staff involvement, Edelman has created various opportunities for employees to contribute to global causes working along with local community service opportunities. In Hong Kong, Edelman identified four non-profit organizations (NGOs) THIS YEAR  and all staff can choose to do pro-bono work for one of the four organizations. (Interns will have a chance to choose one as well!) The four NGOs including Make-A-Wish Foundation Hong Kong, HandsOn Hong Kong, Mekong Club and Feeding Hong Kong are all meaningful associations with great visions to make our society a better place.

I have decided Feeding Hong Kong as my charity team and surprisingly I got my chance to participate soon after I made the choice! I am able to sit-in the planning workshop leading by our regional training & crisis management director, Ray Rudowski at Feeding Hog Kong office in Yau Tong. It is so exciting for me to meet an actual organization client and express my opinions face to face to them. Feeding Hong Kong is the only food bank in Hong Kong dedicated to redistributing surplus food to people in need. Our job involved him develop the key message, the Communications Blueprint and then some tactical ideas on how to implement it. Interns may not be able directly deal with advance tasks like strategy planning, but with this opportunity I can gain experiences on how to cope with an actual client, which stimulated my personal development and passionate towards the industry. Giving back to the community is one of the core values at Edelman and I am delighted to be part of this.

Working in such a caring, loving and diversify company is definitely my honor and I have so much fun to explore the PR industry world while Edelman is now taking the lead to evolve to communications marketing firm. Just a blog wouldn’t be enough to cover all the amazing things happening here, so come and join to explore your intern life. Of course, there are lots of great read on our global site Edelman.com about Edelman’s Citizenship and GWEN!

By Rachel Shiu

[edelmanhkinterns]

PRESS RELEASE: Edelman Hires O’Neill as Summer Intern

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

HONG KONG, 6 August 2015 – Previously in June, Edelman announced that Kelsey O’Neill, an undergraduate studying business and communications at the University of Southern California (USC), will begin her summer internship.

O’Neill was honored to be selected for such a prestigious company, and looked forward to learning new skills at the world’s largest PR firm. O’Neill ventured from Southern California to work in Hong Kong for the summer.  She eagerly anticipated the challenges she would encounter, embracing the new foods, language, transportation, and workplace culture as part of the experience.  Reportedly, her expectations were far exceeded by all the support, attention, and confidence she received from her colleagues.  O’Neill remarked, “I was pleasantly surprised with the trust my coworkers had in me to learn quickly and challenge myself with a variety of unfamiliar assignments.”

The summer months flew by, and before she knew it, O’Neill had gained a wealth of knowledge that can best be summarized in five key points she refers to as the “ABCDE”.

1. Accountability

At Edelman, O’Neill reported that she was immediately granted responsibilities that she never would have imagined for a new hire.  Right off the bat, she was researching, designing press kits, media auditing, drafting proposals, and attending workshops.  “As a student brand-new to the industry, it was refreshing to be depended on for more than fetching lattes,” O’Neill joked.  “Edelman truly cares about the knowledge the employees gain from joining their team; there were many lunch and learn sessions on topics including diversity in the workplace and dressing for success, for the entire company to broaden their skills and constantly improve,” she remarked.

2. Branding

At the University of Southern California, O’Neill has particularly enjoyed her marketing classes.  What surprised her, however, is the overlap between Public Relations and Marketing.  Edelman has wonderfully blended these two interests of hers: Communications Marketing – it takes the emotional resonance and analytical rigor of marketing and combines it with the storytelling journalistic mindset and stakeholder engagement of communications.  O’Neill has seen this come to fruition when calling media to determine a client’s corporate reputation as well as when researching conferences to aid with brand promotion.  This fusion of communication and marketing experiences at Edelman differ from that of any ad agency, media buyers, digital, consulting, or PR firms.  This comprehensive skillset will help distinguish her as a candidate in future career advancement opportunities.

3. Culture

One of the main differences between working in the United States and Hong Kong is the culture.  Hong Kong is known for its efficiency and tight timelines – this is the ideal environment for professional development.  O’Neill, a detail-oriented student, enjoyed the challenge that this atmosphere provided, and emerged from the internship with a stronger sense of productivity and time management skills.  “Often, employees are working on 3-5 unique clients a day,” O’Neill shared, “and that challenges you to prioritize so that every piece of work is on time and of the highest quality.”

4. Diversification

Undergraduate students can especially benefit from discovering interests through a broad familiarization of many industries.  Edelman clearly realizes the importance of this, and to O’Neill, this was invaluable. She delved into multiple industries: Insurance, Healthcare, Transportation, Education, Legal, Financial, Consumer Products, Energy, Hospitality, Food and Grocery, Retail, and Telecommunications.  Within the course of two and a half months, O’Neill worked on 60+ companies, doing prospective research, analyzing coverage, and creating content.  Truly, she was able to sample and garner knowledge and insights from a breadth of companies and industries.

5. Enjoy

Lastly, enjoy.  O’Neill marveled that it’s an amazing experience to be an intern, where everybody wants to help lift you up to success.  The employees at Edelman form strong communities of teams that learn and benefit from one another’s inventive thoughts.  Edelman offers many opportunities to push outside of your comfort zone, applying knowledge in completely new ways.  O’Neill strongly believes that what you get out of it is what you put into it.

O’Neill would like to leave Edelman with one final thought – as long as you’re going to be thinking anyways, think big!  Edelman values those creative-spirited individuals who speak their minds and challenge the conventions.  O’Neill firmly believes that many other interns would benefit from this experience; her decision to join Edelman in Hong Kong this summer has opened her mind, transformed her industry knowledge, and substantially stimulated her personal development.

By Kelsey O’Neill

[edelmanhkinterns]

More than just PR!

Choosing a college major seems like one of the most nerve wracking decisions, maybe second behind picking a roommate. You try to select the correct combination of majors and minors to provide the most job opportunities. I chose marketing because it encompassed aspects of my two favorite classes in high school: the precise analytics economics and the deep cognitive insights of psychology.

At school the Marketing Department emphasizes experiential learning. Last year I worked with an American retailer to develop a Boxing Day campaign. Throughout the project our professor rode us to make sure we had data and insights, not just ideas. At the time it honestly seemed unnecessary. We were teenagers, we know what teenagers like, that seemed like enough. We would create a strategy and find the insight and data to back it up. But that’s not how marketing works. When presenting to the client we finally understood the importance of the data when our flimsy “insights” fell flat due to the lack of foundational research.

Intellectual Property

Before my interview with Edelman I was a little intimidated not knowing as much about communication and the PR industry. But, while doing research online about Edelman I was completely blown away by the IP (intellectual property) like Edelman’s annual Trust Barometer, a study which has conducted in the 15th year offers key insights into the factors that increase and decrease trust. An exploration of trust in government, media, business and NGOs. Another one is Brand Share, which is Edelman’s largest-ever consumer marketing study, seeking to further understand the evolving relationship between people and brands. That felt like something I could relate to; using research data for workable solutions and turning data into actionable ideas to help our client on strategy.

Communications Marketing

In a speech last year Richard Edelman, President and CEO of Edelman, asserted “Communications must operate with the rigor and analytics of marketing – and marketing must operate with the storytelling mindset and marketplace reality of communications. They are inextricably linked.”

Advertising companies do strategy, marketing companies incorporate communication into their campaigns. The industries aren’t siloed. This is because brands are now expected to have voice, goals, and stand for something. But they have to stand for something cohesive that aligns with stakeholder expectations. That echoed to Richard’s vision in communications marketing and the three key elements – Evolve, Promote, Protect.

Business + Social Purpose

On my first day of work the Director of my team took me out to coffee. We chatted about the communication industry becoming more dynamic. At school everything is about the pipeline. You choose major X to get job Y. But cross functionality is much more marketable mostly because that is how businesses function. No company wants an employee that can only do numbers. You have to understand the numbers and the story they tell. Business are adapting to be more comprehensive in their scope.  

At Edelman I work on the Business + Social Purpose practice, this encompasses everything from sustainability, to employee engagement, to corporate citizenship. We help clients launch purpose-driven integrated campaigns that make a real impact.

Research

What I find the most interesting in our work is the way we develop campaigns. This is illustrated in a client campaign. Edelman conducted research on how to use technology to increase engagement and solve environmental issues. The research lead to key insights that, while people see the need to address environmental issues, they don’t feel that individuals can make a difference. Also, over 75% adults in Hong Kong felt that the people under the age of 29 are the future for solving these environmental issues.

With those insights, obviously backed up with research and data, the B+SP team at Edelman developed an integrated campaign. This campaign mobilizes students to develop ideas to improve the environment while empowering them for positive change.

It is so exciting to apply my knowledge of marketing while learning about PR and communications at such a dynamic, innovative, and forward-thinking company.

My teammates celebrated my birthday!

By Elana Ross

[edelmanhkinterns]

Living the Edelman Values

‘Edelman – the only agency I will ever work for’ may seem over exaggerated, but it’s true that most employees feel a strong sense of belongingness working in Edelman. Topping Glassdoor’s lists of ‘best places to work 2015’ and ‘companies of culture and values 2014’ has proven the success of Edelman’s family-run business.

So what’s the key of success? Walk the talk – live the values. From senior executives to junior employees, everyone believes and acts according to the six Edelman core values.

Quality

One of the core value at Edelman is QUALITY. Edelman is committed to delivering on our Quality Pledge to clients every day. We strive for excellence in products, services and people that drives long-term growth and employee satisfaction. To achieve this, internal quality reviews are taken place regularly. To maintain quality services promised and delivered to clients, quality reviews on selected accounts are conducted once per quarter internally. Account holders would be tested with tough questions raised by senior executives, topics would range from theories to operations. Every account holder would be asked to ensure the entire team has a thorough understanding of the account. On client side, to build on long-term relationship we operates through Edelman Excellence (E2) which enables thorough assessment in five areas – Quality of Performance, Thinking, Service, People and Relationship.

To keep track of employee’s work and growth, performance reviews are conducted in a serious manner annually. The 360 review consist of employees’ self-assessment, feedbacks from colleagues, and one-on-one chat with supervisors. In addition, employees are always welcome to invite their supervisors for a catch-up from time to time to discuss their career goals, achievements and rooms for improvements. There are also informal reviews throughout the year. Every time I had a chat with my supervisor, I could easily identify my strengths to build on and weaknesses to work out. Her care and guidance have accelerated my learning and growth in Edelman.

Integrity  

We ensure business activity aligns with the interests of all stakeholders. Client needs a firm that puts their reputation and integrity first. Other than looking for delivering results, it is also important that it reaches ethical standards. Staff including interns are given online training to learn about Edelman’s Code of Ethics and Business Conduct which serves as a guide to serve our clients with integrity. Edelman’s culture has heavily influenced its staff when facing external partners, thus successfully becomes a responsible, trustworthy partner respected by all stakeholders.

Respect

This is best shown by the positive relationships among colleagues, clients and the communities in which Edelman does business. Every two weeks, an all-staff meeting is held at the pantry for teams to share insights, to award the best-performing paddler (staff) of the boat (Edelman), to celebrate birthdays, promotions, anniversaries and a lot more. The celebrative culture in Edelman greatly motivates staffs to work harder and reach higher. Opportunities are everywhere as long as you’re curious enough and well-prepared. Whatever your rank is, wherever you come from, you are respected and valued by the company as an important asset. That’s what unites all paddlers to row the same boat.

Entrepreneurial spirit

Entrepreneurial spirit is most reflected on Edelman’s changing business nature, to inspire everyone from a sole PR service provider to the best Communications Marketing agency. Great passion in leadership and ambition to lead staffs actively take charge and make a difference for clients. Even interns involved in daily duties simple as daily news monitoring, to drive market intelligence from the industry / market news beneficial to clients are done in high standard. Whether during training or staff meeting, we are constantly inspired and reminded to ‘think out of the box’ to create a ‘WOW’ idea that can take the lead among agencies and clients.  

Mutual Benefits

Mutual Benefits are the ultimate goals businesses strive for, so does Edelman. In order to maintain a healthy growth, Edelman strives for financial success that rewards the firm, its employees and clients. Systematic activity trackers and regular client meetings are implemented to achieve mutual benefits.

Citizenship

Citizenship is one of the core values of Edelman and is committed to global citizenship to make an impact. Working with colleagues coming from the US, UK, Australia, Brazil, you name it, instills a strong sense of global citizenship on me. In Edelman, we act with purpose in everything we do. In office, we recycle reusable paper and attend environment-related seminars. The citizenship team will organize office wide charity event as well as driving citizenship via marketing activities such as the annual Movember event. For our clients, we help them launch purpose-driven campaigns to make a real impact and worked with our clients how we can co-create a better world !

For the sake of ‘earning a good reputation’, many companies talk a lot on how much they value their employees, but seldom actually walked the talk. In my past 2-month internship in Edelman, I could not only observe how my peers and seniors live the Edelman values, but also experience them myself. Culture and values are what I treasure most when looking for a place to work, and Edelman absolutely nails it.

By Abby Cheng

[edelmanhkinterns]

Life at “E-D-E-L-M-A-N”

Hi there, this is Kris from the Corporate team, or as we prefer, the Corporate Dragon!

I am a Politics major with a Journalism minor from HKU. Though my studies seem irreverent to PR, here I am in this highly interactive and lively industry!

It is too hard to describe all the fantastic moments I have had during this internship.  Briefly I can tell you what life is like in Edelman.

For me, literally, it feels like "Edelman": E-D-E-L-M-A-N

E = Entrepreneurial spirits

"Hire the best talent and retain them by giving them the chance to be entrepreneurial."  – Daniel J. Edelman, Founder of Edelman

Exactly, this is the place where I feel how the company realizes such idea.

As an intern I have never expected my voices will be heard. Unlike many other companies, I don’t see a clear hierarchical culture which discourages staff to voice their views.  

What I see here at Edelman is everyone encourages everyone to speak up and ask questions. Everyone holds a welcoming and open-minded attitude to listen to bold ideas. Even as interns, our voices count. As long as we are willing to share and contribute, we are entitled to speak as equal as everyone else. This encourages individuals to learn and flourish.  

D = Diversity A global environment is the most attractive part of the company. In this local office I get to experience something I thought I could only encounter in exchange studies or overseas internships.

Edelman champions diversity in terms of the background of its people. We have talents coming from all parts of the world, providing us a good platform for culture exchange. Talking to non-native staff at the comfy pantry is the most relaxing and joyful moment of the day. Such environment indeed helps me strengthen cultural sensitivity.

Kris in a tram party with his team (Top) and with his teammates (Bottom)

E = Engagement One of the greatest thing of Edelman is its commitment to the society. Edelman engages itself with the community by demonstrating a strong sense of citizenship. The little steps that we take can eventually bring up valuable changes to our people, our clients, the society and even the world.

Starting from our office, we have adopted a "Green Ambassador" scheme in which we are all encouraged to recycle. Taking a step forward we take initiatives to volunteer work. At our staff meetings, the Citizenship Committee often introduces plenty of volunteering opportunities for us to join. To encourage staff participation, Edelman grants its employees 8 hours paid leave per year to take part in charity work. As a social science student who highly values social justice, I feel proud of my company as we all care about bringing positive impacts to the society.

To find out more about our global citizenship, visit our website here: http://www.edelman.com/who-we-are/global-citizenship/

L = Lunch & Learn In additional to our training culture, I have also experienced the "Lunch & Learn" training sessions. As we're always told "there's no such thing as a free lunch", Edelman tells us the other way round. We have lunch training sessions where all different levels of employees will be assigned to different courses to match their level of learnings. Sometimes, there will be training topics that all employees receive trainings together. Since it is ‘lunch’ and ‘learn’, there will be food and drinks so that everyone can grab a bite during sessions. As relaxing as it sounds, the "free lunch" gives us more than just food. The knowledge and insights we can gain from the training is more than just beneficial to our work. This month we put more focus on writing, and developing writing skills and creativity.

Apart from lunch training, we can also get access to a resourceful database which provides all sorts of online and offline training material. Equipped with essential professional PR knowledge, it is more than beneficial for us to grow our career.

M = Motivation As much as Edelman emphasizes "quality", we are driven to perform the best quality of work to our clients. With the trainings provided, we have acquired a lot of techniques such as writing creatively, brainstorming and search engine optimizations etc. Together with our ever-rising spirit, we are motivated to pursue the highest quality.  Edelman is committed to delivering on our Quality Pledge to clients every day!

A = Amazingly fun Fun never ends at Edelman. The first thing I must mention is our weekly "Fruity Friday"! What can be better than a refreshing lunch break with fruits? The colorful combination perfectly features the fun.

Additionally, if you're thinking a mass staff meeting is something scary that makes everyone nervous, I can't say you're wrong but you're not getting close to what happens. All interns are asked to introduce themselves and shared something special about ourselves are truly fun!

It is a good opportunity to share our work from different practice each time, whilst we also do birthday celebration and party.  In the latest staff meeting we have just celebrated the 10th anniversary of two of our colleagues.

N = Network of empowered individuals Edelman encourages women leadership. Edelman’s Global Women’s Executive Network (GWEN) is an empowered group of people who are committed to networking, mentoring, recruiting, collaborating and career planning for women at Edelman. Our Hong Kong office just held GWEN mentoring session in April.

Such an entry wouldn't be enough to cover all the amazing culture of Edelman around the globe. Of course, you can also find the news of Edelman Hong Kong from our intern blog, follow us on twitter and LIKE our Facebook page !

By Kris Lam

[edelmanhkinterns]

The Importance of Trust in the Public Relations Industry

Hello! My name is Michael Kuna and I am interning at Edelman for a few weeks during my study abroad experience in Hong Kong. Even though it is for a relatively short period of time, I already feel as though I have learned a great deal. I think the most important idea that I will take away from this experience is that trust is extremely important in the public relations industry. In order to be successful in the industry, there must be trust at three levels: trust within the public relations firm, trust between the firm and the client company, and trust from the consumer of both the client company and the public relations company.

Edelman Trust Barometer The 2015 Edelman Trust Barometer is the firm’s 15th annual exploration of trust. 33,000 respondents were surveyed across 27 countries around the world on their trust in the institutions of government, media, business and NGOs. Since 2013, Hong Kong has fallen from 5th most trusting to 17th with levels of trust declining across virtually all types of industries and organizations.

However, 75% of people agree that “a company can take specific actions that both increase profits and improve the economic and social conditions in the community where it operates” This means that although levels of trust have declined, people still have the desire to trust companies, so long as those companies give them a legitimate reason to. The trust barometer suggests that trust can be established through transparent business practices and listening to customer needs, among other things.

Learn more: Trust in Hong Kong and Global Trust.

Trust at Edelman I think that the first step in creating a consumer culture that is more trusting can start with the public relations agencies that represent the brands that consumers are exposed to on a daily basis. From what I experience while interning here, Edelman has a head start on this as a result of a strong corporate culture that fosters trust and accountability in its employees. With the amount of different activities occurring in each team, every employee is given the opportunity to prove their trustworthiness. Altogether, this strong corporate culture is reflected in both Edelman’s desire to work with like-minded clients as well as the finished product that Edelman puts forth.

Trust between Edelman and the Client These positive attributes Edelman displays works both ways as they attract the very best clients that Edelman seeks, clients who want to be represented by a public relations agency whose core beliefs align with their own. From the outset, then, the client-firm relationship is already has a base laid for a strong relationship as a result of overlapping values.  This also paves the way for work, from both sides of the relationship, which is more in line with what consumers want to see from companies. 

There are 16 trust-building attributes which fall into five performance clusters. We understand engagement and integrity are the most important and critical in how we counsel clients to advance their business and advance innovations in the marketplace. Continuing along down the line, as the consumer sees actions from companies that they find more agreeable, their overall trust in those companies will begin to rise.

Trust in Employee Engagement According to the global Edelman’s 15th annual Trust Barometer, people do not trust business, and it’s becoming more challenging to rebuild credibility. Companies need to look internally to elevate and amplify those voices whom consumers and stakeholders want to hear from most: Employees. 

Brands can become more successful, which will allow them to treat employees better, create programs that positively impact the local community, and provide financial investors with higher and more consistent returns. As it happens, these three things are among those that help to increase trust among consumers.  Therefore, through trust, Edelman shows that it really is possible to be both a successful and trusted organization. 

To learn more about the Employee Engagement findings from the 2015 Edelman Trust Barometer, check out the link below.

Trust in Employee Engagement.

By Michael Kuna

[edelmanhkinterns]

Thoughts on Showing up Differently

Hello everyone! My name is Sophie Fivel from the Technology practice and I study Business Economics & Public Policy at The George Washington University; I have been in Hong Kong as an exchange student since January.  It is quite remarkable how much I can say I have learned as an intern at Edelman in the past few weeks and I am beyond thankful for the opportunity.

One of the initial things I noticed on my first day was as sign with the words "Show Up Differently” decorating the desk next to mine. Once I learned about the campaign and its main objectives, I was intrigued to learn if Edelman actually shows up differently, and if so, how?

                         (Digital Marketing Practice intern Calista’s artwork) 

Since I am a business student, I find it interesting how businesses influence employees to maintain a high-quality of work while simultaneously increasing their levels of creativity. Furthermore, how do employees in a big agency manage to build a well-rounded understanding of the industry while searching for their own personal niche and overall career goals? From what I have observed, Edelman’s office culture, combined with “Show up Differently” campaign, gives the agency a much bigger advantage than what it appears on the surface. The following are two ways I observed:

1. Cooperative Independence Something that makes Edelman operates uniquely and effectively is the practice of inter-departmental communication. An impressive output is achieved when multiple teams eagerly collaborate together by acknowledging individual’s strengths.

I had the chance to be a firsthand witness to many projects unfold across practices because I was seated close by the digital team. It is rather impressive to witness the communicative prowess and multitasking abilities that make it possible for employees to drop what they are doing, be briefed on a completely new client or project, and join right in. Cooperative independence is complicated in its nature, but with hard work, organization and creativity, Edelman rises above the challenge and sets the agency apart from others. 

2. Continuous Learning During my short 4 weeks here, I have had the opportunity to attend two “Lunch & Learn” sessions, a few training sessions, many staff meetings and have had access to the Edelman Learning Institute, is a robust, global training and development learning online system. Needless to say, I now have a better understanding of the multifaceted public relations industry and have picked up many tips on how to improve my work.  Edelman shows up differently by fostering an environment where everyone in the office is committed to growing together. Individuals are not afraid to ask questions of the more experienced employees, do additional research, and learn from mistakes when things do not go as planned. Acknowledging that there is always more to learn, even when you are a high-ranking employee, is not a weakness but rather a unique way of showing up differently and is an essential part of how Edelman is unique.

Showing up differently is something I believe can be applied to all aspects of life and it is very special that Edelman incorporates this campaign into strategic operations and everyday activities. I have learned much more than my initial expectations and I am very appreciative of my internship experience. A big thank you to everyone, especially the technology team, for your guidance, enthusiasm and support!

By Sophie Fivel