An Amateur's Perspective on REtAiL Life @theparaprofessional-blog - Tumblr Blog

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Going abroad: Whether by trekking across Europe or spending part of college “studying abroad,” traveling overseas has become one of the trendier things to do while still in our youth. As a college student and aspiring professional, I know it crossed my mind once or twice that I absolutely had to go abroad before I began my full-time adult life.

Some individuals debate whether or not to spend a semester abroad because of a fear of wasting time that could be spent gaining professional experience while interning. However, I’ve been fortunate enough to find that nowadays, we don’thave to choose. I was able to participate in two, non-traditional study abroad programs that allowed me the best of both worlds – and let me see more worlds than I could ever have imagined.

Continued at My Future Job

Trust is one of those must-have virtues, which we seek out in our close friendships, family ties and even boss relationships. Well, I recently had an eye-opening experience at work that helped me realize this: trust can also help foster – and enrich - a truly great working relationship between employer and employee… or intern. Trust not only ensures that mutual support will present from each end of a work collaboration; it also inspires the confidence that we as interns need in order to try new tasks and excel at completing them.

Continued at The Intern View

No One Likes a Know-it-All...so Show Some Humility

Hey superstars like me out there, we may know – well, a lot after all these years of school. As a young student and pre-professional, you might deserve recognition for your expertise and initiative as much as the rest of us, especially after landing a stellar internship or whatnot. But what’s necessary for you to keep demonstrating excellence and setting yourself apart?

While it requires confidence, passion and charisma to demonstrate leadership, one of the most important traits for a leader to uphold amongst their peers is humility. People are more likely to appreciate, empathize with and look up to someone who is willing to get their hands dirty. The most inspiring people I’ve worked with; have been those who aren’t afraid to admit when they’re wrong, who aren’t above cleaning up vomit on a retail floor, and who value my opinion – no matter where I stand on the totem pole.

Exercising humility in the following ways can really enhance your interpersonal skills. With this enhancement, simple attitudes in your day-to-day work will add to your work relationships, your performance and your potential as someone worth emulating:

ADMIT IF YOU DON’T KNOW SOMETHING – It’s natural for the competent and ambitious (like us interns!) to strive toward excellence. Whether in your first weeks on the job or still in the interview phase, the aim is to demonstrate your abilities and add value to the work taking place! However, don’t be afraid to admit when you’ve come across an obstacle. Your willingness to learn will make you known as quick and coachable; moreover, a fast way to lose one’s credibility is by passing on incorrect information or making a mistake that impacts your clients or final deliverables.

Read more at MyFutureJob

#myfuturejob #showing initiative #internship #career advice

PR does PC: Inside the Press Conference

One of the most rewarding projects I worked on this summer, during my internship with global communications agency MSL (in Hong Kong), was a real live press conference. After weeks of key message development, client-to-agency-and-back correspondence, the creation of concise media invitations and endless preparation of informational materials, I supported my first, mid-sized press conference for one of our financial communications clients in my final week at work. The UK-based insurance company we were serving, in aiming for their Hong Kong branch to increase its influence on investors and financial players in the Asia market, published in mid-July a report of stakeholder attitudes toward the HK and Asia financial market. To get the word out, it was our job to invite relevant reporters - from a wide variety of local, regional and specialized news outlets- and facilitate a press conference. As it turned out, three phases would ensue: PHASE ONE - The preparation phase lasted several weeks, and I was involved with writing and brainstorming for the client at each level. Compiling a briefing booklet for the client spokespeople consisted of researching media outlets and the background details of their journalist representatives, as they confirmed they’d be attending the press conference; Linkedin helped with this step! Our account leaders brainstormed potential Q&A topics that the spokesperson should be prepared for, and summarized key messages from the investor attitudes report for which the spokesperson was encouraged to know the evidence like the back of his hand. Documents were drafted, then edited, then checked and approved by the client at regional and global levels; printing and stapling was a final step, and this occurred much on a Sunday evening because of the press conferences Monday morning start time! This same evening, follow-up calls to local journalists were made almost ceaselessly, as our agency was determined to remain unfazed by the lack of motivation often met by early Mondays. PHASE TWO - On the morning of the event, our corporate team arrived at the office early to prepare the spokesperson, the space and ourselves (the support staff). My direct supervisor this summer, who was a Senior Account Manager, was clear and efficient in briefing the clients and spokesman (whom she had met more informally the night prior in preparation). She went over the briefing book contents, and asked those potential questions as if she were an inquisitive and unapologetic journalist. While this was happening, a fellow corporate intern and I filled the press kits with all relevant content - including a press release, executive bio, summary of investor attitudes report, and corresponding Powerpoint slides upon which press could take notes - and added a personal touch by including a pen and keychain, courtesy of our client and featuring their logo. All the while, we prepared the space as if approaching the starting hour of a cocktail party; an Account Executive who guided us scurried around organizing the reception desk, press materials, and requesting organizational favors such as stocking the refreshment area with napkins. There was simultaneous input from the client, whose office we were working in: the spokesperson and local leader requested a glass of water directly prior to his presentation, and it required about four levels of message-transfer in order to secure some drinking water. When 11:35am hit, we were ready - and our conference room was actually jam-packed. PHASE THREE - Once the event commenced, I observed the dynamics from many angles. The press seemed to be “doing their thing,” most seeming less than entranced but rather reading and highlighting the materials we had provided. Word-of-mouth amongst local journalists resulted in a higher attendance than the agency had expected, which was more than good news. Characteristics of the local media included a certain hesitation when it came time for questions; people waited for individual quote opportunities afterward, and many snapped their own photos. From observing the fearless leader who presented the conference’s material, I saw several abilities imperative to managing a good media event. He was eloquent and composed when challenged by hard questions, transitioning to a willingness to “share more information after this presentation” if there was a piece of information which wasn’t on hand. Also, as this was a financial services company and not one particularly qualified to advise, the client company’s spokesperson framed the reports findings which he was sharing as “indications” rather than professional advice. He emphasized his points using somewhat colloquial and positive terminology, which maintained a tone of optimism; one example of this was the term “cycle-resistant solutions” as a positive reference to the risk-averse investor choices impacting the Hong Kong markets. In conclusion, this capstone event within my internship experience was a great depiction of the outcomes of thorough and effective PR. Despite the financial lingo (which I'm proud to have picked up) mentioned above, the key takeaways include the media event coordination skills which I mastered as well as the quality, intentional communication strategies I observed. Our press conference was a success, as were the lessons gained by the corporate interns that day!

#public relations #internships #INTERN #press conference #hong kong

Top 5 Ways to Be a Healthy Intern

It's the first day of class at the University of Southern California, and this could very likely mean the first day of internships for Trojans, not only in the Annenberg school. Let's say...

It’s 9am on a Monday morning and you wearily pull yourself out of your extra comfy bed. It’s the first day of your internship and you decide that you’re going to start the day off right with something extremely tasty. You slowly walk into the kitchen, rummage through the pantry, and lock eyes with the Cinnamon Toast Crunch sitting innocently behind a big box of Fiber One Cereal. Without thinking, you empty a generous portion of the cereal into a ceramic bowl and anxiously dig in. 260 calories and 20g of sugar later, you realize you accidently ate double the portion size recommended on the side of the box. On top of that, you’re running ten minutes late to your internship and the stress is quickly building.

So what’s the secret to maintaining a healthy lifestyle during intern life?

Find out how with my top 5 tips on how to be a healthy intern:

1. Stuff your Car and Purse with Healthy Snacks

The snooze button: every intern’s worst nightmare. Yes friends, some mornings we accidently press the snooze button one too many times and have to suffer breakfast-wise because of it. To make sure we still get the proper nutrition during these extremely hectic mornings, make a trip to the grocery store and purchase a variety of healthy “on the go” items. Though I’m not promoting driving and eating breakfast at the same time, small containers of Chobani Greek Yogurt, bananas, and whole wheat bagels are the perfect foods to nibble on in the car. On the other hand if you do have 5-10 minutes to spare in the morning, whip up a bowl of hearty oatmeal with Craisins, a dash of cinnamon, and a scoop of fat-free peanut butter. Oatmeal is inexpensive, healthy, and guaranteed to keep you satisfied until lunch time.

When the 3 o’clock munchies attack, munch on an apple, raw almonds, or a small bag of low sodium pretzels that you can store conveniently in your purse. Protein bars such as CLIFBARs are also great snacking alternatives.

2. Don’t Eat the Doughnuts

It is pretty much guaranteed that the company you’re interning for will have a bountiful supply of tempting sugar coated doughnuts in the break room. If a co-worker offers you one, you can avoid the sticky situation by saying, “Oh no thank you, I’m not really hungry. Thank you for offering though.” If they keep pressuring you, try mentioning that you had a very large breakfast that morning and are waiting until lunchtime rolls around. Whatever you do though, don’t make them feel bad for eating the doughnut. If you want a tasty doughnut, then go for it! Just limit yourself to one a week. Life’s too short to fret over one fresh and delicious rainbow sprinkled doughnut.

3. Bring a Aluminum Water Bottle

One of the most important healthy rules at a professional office is to avoid the vending machine at all costs. Diet Pepsi may sound extremely refreshing now, but in the long run, no real health benefits are associated with it. You can stay hydrated and save the environment at the same time by purchasing an inexpensive aluminum water bottle. Instead of the plastic bottles that tumble out of a vending machine, an aluminum bottle is sustainable product that can be used over and over again. Overall, water is extremely healthy, good for your skin, and helps combat heat exhaustion during the hot summer months.

4. Offer to Make Any Errands

As an intern, sometimes you’ll be asked to do many intern-like tasks such as delivering papers to various individuals in the office or getting coffee from the local Starbucks. Though the tasks may seem insignificant at first, after a few days, the calories burned from running these errands do add up! Always think positive and remember that these errands give you a chance to get out of the office and stretch your legs. More importantly, your boss will take notice and appreciate the extra effort which could potentially help you land a full-time position with the company after college.

5. Go Home and Strap on Your Running Shoes

After a long day at your internship, usually the last thing you want to do is go to the gym or run around your neighborhood. To avoid this after work slump, strap on your running shoes as soon as you get home. Putting on your sneaks will help put you in a fit and healthy mindset so that you won’t plop into bed for a late afternoon nap instead. When you get home from your internship, give yourself about an hour to unwind and eat a quick pre-run snack. One of my favorite ways to fuel before a run is a whole wheat wrap with creamy peanut butter spread inside. Aim for at least 30 minutes of exercise a day.

Reblogged from TheInternView's Shannon May, who shared these invaluable tips on on May 24, 2010.

#usc #annenberg #intern #internships #public relations #health tips

Throwing in my First Pitch

One of my final, most meaningful and challenging tasks for MSL Hong Kong this summer was taking my first stab at compiling a pitch - a retainer pitch to one of our former clients, for whom we’ve conducted media relations in the past. It’s now time for my agency to propose a more long-term service campaign to the client company, who has much potential to increase both their industry stature and thought leadership. Engagement with the local, Asia regional and finance media will be a large channel through which our potential new client can make these improvements - and this is where we’ll come in.

When drafting a PR strategy pitch, which takes its most elementary form in that of “PPT,” there are many sources of background information and ideas from which to draw. All of our findings, client opportunities and strategic ideas then fall into a three-pronged presentation comprised of: Current Status, Communication Needs & Strategy Proposal. The following steps summarize the most valuable steps which helped me through my first [several] attempts at a real-life client pitch:

1. Taking the Mound. The first resource that I referenced when compiling the pitch was a recent pitch given by my firm, which happened to be for a client in a similar, wealth-related industry. Starting with the template of a former and successful pitch allowed for efficient short-cuts to valuable insight, such as media lists of the relevant regional finance publications we’d recommend for our client or ideas for a financial client to enhance its industry thought leadership (i.e. through investor surveys, educational finance tutorials, etc.).

2. Getting a Grip. Once a template is established and a proposal is underway, the best way to brainstorm possible solutions for a potential new client is to look for gaps in the business of all parties involved. Not only was I advised to delve into what this company was lacking in media angles and industry input; I also researched their presence in Hong Kong specifically, and into what subject areas of Hong Kong wealth management their industry voice could fit. Moreover, I looked into which service areas of our firm and its financial department were under-developed; this provided great ideas into areas where perhaps our professionals had great experience but our agency itself didn't in the recent past. Finally, a gap in the knowledge and ability of our local media landscape provided a great idea for our agency’s client pitch: an opportunity to exercise thought leadership among journalists in the region by sharing rudimentary tips on covering finance in local news.

3. The Wind-Up. Next, it was important that I examined all past or current initiatives that this potential new client already had under way. As this company had recently been a client of my agency - on a project-basis only, for their regional CEO’s first visit to Hong Kong - I first looked to which services the client had both benefited from and been happy with. In the case of this client, the one-day media tour on which we guided their spokesperson to discuss the findings of one of their recent industry surveys was a great success. Because this opportunity displayed the potential for this client’s story to gain coverage in the local and Asia finance media, we knew that they had much to gain from a routine, monthly media relations strategy and support package from our agency. Secondly, we turned to our London counterparts at Capital MSL for ideas from their past work with the same client, at their UK headquarters. Hooray for inter-agency idea-sharing!

4. The Release! Pending. Our corporate and financial team is nearly ready to share this invaluable proposal with the client!

5. The Follow-through. Follow-through on a client pitch entails research and forward-thinking, through such daily tasks as tracking the client’s local media coverage, staying abreast of recent industry trends or “hot topics,” and keeping an ever-open mind to new ideas or client projects.

Chan Ho Park, circa Los Angeles Dodgers in 2008

#intern #internships #retainer pitch #public relations #pr #hong kong

Planning a Media Luncheon - Hong Kong-style

In one of my more unexpected lessons in local and thorough PR over the course of my summer internship, I played a part in planning what we dubbed a "media dim sum":

The Media Luncheon: what an ambiguous-sounding component of any media professional’s weekly activities. Recognized as a meeting facilitated by the PR team between a client spokesperson (who’s usually on a tight schedule) with numerous media representatives at once - not to mention lunch on the side (free food = incentive for busy journalists!) - the media luncheon is actually quite an art form, as it turns out. Its planning is truly a more creative and intentional craft than I might have realized:

Menu Bread and Beverage: Where to have it? Salad: At what time to hold it? Appetizer: Meet capacity, stay within the budget Main Course: What content can we create? Dessert: Stories, stories and more stories

In the case of my agency’s client, their fearless leader and CEO is coming into town for a mere 36 hours in a few weeks time. This means that while about one day needs to be devoted to one-on-one interviews with stars from prominent local news outlets, there is time for an hour-long meal meeting in which the CEO and a spokesperson can share the best-of information with multiple journalists at once. Efficient, right? Every detail looks like it will count, as I learned when our corp & finance team had a meeting to discuss luncheon ideas that lasted a little under an hour. The first challenge? Where to host it.

My supervisor was the first in charge of making this event happen; it seems to me as though this type of coordination is her specialty, since she knows people and hot-spots all over Hong Kong. I also learned that this fact is partly due to an assignment she completed in her first ever local internship, years ago: to go around the city researching (and photographing) classy restaurants with private back-rooms for hosting such an event as a media luncheon. This meant that she called local hotels and dining establishments, as well as local friends who could recommend places to her. She made tentative reservations when she found ones that were available on our client’s free day. However, she soon came upon the unavoidable speed-bumps posed by other details required for a reservation, such as: at what time would it be held?

It turned out that our client was no longer available right at 12noon, due to another imperative meeting. Moving the time wasn’t as simple as one might think. If you host such an event a bit later, say - at 2pm, it conflicts with every local press conference held in Hong Kong. They’re typically at 2pm. Then we considered 4pm; however, that sort of time slot begins to conflict with journalists’ daily deadlines, which are typically at 5 or 6pm. One perspective offered up was that no journalist reporting on the outskirts of the city would choose to come all the way into Central for a “luncheon” that merely provided snacks, even if it were in the form of classy high-tea at the Mandarin. Fancy breakfast is out, since it has been said that these highly sought-after professionals also tend to be (no, of course not lazy!) late-risers, and won’t go after a story before 11am. So, 11am it is. This was the point at which another senior account lead posed the idea: “Media Dim Sum.” Yum.

Other details to consider were the firm’s budgetary limits, as well as specifications of each potential establishment. For example, many of these hotels have spend minimums for their private rooms. These numbers and spending requirements have to be aligned with the objectives of the luncheon as a media event; that is, the venue needs to be accommodate a good enough number of journalists to make the event worth the client spokesperson’s time, while remaining an intimate setting for sharing information. After a tentative time of day and dining theme were decided, the questions begin of: what content will the event be comprised of? Who will facilitate? Typically, the PR team outlines potential questions to be asked of the client. In addition, however, that client is able to prepare a brief presentation (which, to my understanding, helps ease the potential for awkward silences that tend to come about when a small room is filled with local Hong Kong journalists). Then, an entire checklist of necessary press materials is prepared - for the sake of both the client’s “comms” people and the agency (aka me). Who is responsible for distributing which one-pagers or information sources depends on what the company might already have created. At some point prior to this “media dim sum,” a press kit will be prepared for each journalist in attendance (ingredients may include bios and fact sheets with two sides of press release and free company-logos on top).

Finally, the determination of whether the event was a success will be based on the length, quality and/or appearance, period, of stories on our client written by these journalists whom we just had for free and Hong Kong-famous, dim sum lunch. This, in turn, will be determined by me: who will be doing the media monitoring - with the help of Google Alerts and Factiva. Hopefully my tummy will be completely satisfied after the execution of this surprisingly pristinely-crafted media event - and, that I’ll get a taste of the action (size of the private room permitting).

#public relations #intern #internship #media luncheon #college grad

Stretch, Flex, Trust & Leap: The Gymnastics of PR

I gained several great takeaways in one of my last weeks in the office at MSL Hong Kong. This week's lessons in PR could translate to the steps of a gymnast's process, in my opinion. The perfect gymnastics routine, through the lens of an aspiring public relations specialist: Stretch, flex, trust and then leap.

1. Stretch. There are several things interns like us should constantly be stretching: our eyes and ears, as open wide as they can go for maximum listening to what’s going on around us; and our brains and abilities, in order to learn as many lessons and skills as possible through observation and trial-and-error.

There have been several instances this week which showed me the importance of listening as much as possible and stretching my limits as far as I can. From reading in detail every single email I’m CCd on, I was able to voluntarily contribute a cute and original solution to one of our client’s concerns. From taking diligent notes during our first ever formal Corp/Finance team meeting, I was able to draw novel lessons in the nature of crisis communications and the financial impacts it can have on PR firms and the client in question (to be further told in 2.). From reading up on and virtually stalking my PR firm before I began my summer internship, I was able to come up with and suggest a new social media initiative for my agency (to be detailed in 4.). Finally, from listening to the friendly chatter in the communal kitchen over the course of my internship, I was able to meet and later have lunch with a fascinating woman from one of my firm’s sister agencies!

Don't get me wrong: I am newly a huge proponent of asking as many questions as possible throughout the learning process that is an internship. However, if we’re sure to keep our eyes, ears and minds open at all times (even during the casual lunches outside the office), I’ve found so far that there are innumerable lessons to be learned from the professionals around us.

2. Flex! That is, flex your skilled PR muscles and be flexible.

Every muscle seems to count, as I observe the savvy professionals in my office turn tricks and pull out all the stops to satisfy each client and media figure they come in contact with. The first component of this requires flexing those interpersonal skills, drawing from past client experiences and reaching into one’s back pocket for an extra touch. My boss recently sent a request for information to a client based in the US, and I noted her suave placement of “Have a Happy 4th of July weekend!” at the bottom of the email; while we’re in Hong Kong (and my supervisor isn’t American), it’s important to place every amount of care that you can upon making efforts with current or potential clients. In another instance, I overheard my supervisor chit-chat with and then invite for a drink a brand new journalist to the renowned local publication SMPC. It really is all about the connections.

Being flexible professionally seems to be an important PR lesson, as I learned in our weekly meeting which served to summarize the recent goings-on of our crisis communications client (a large, foreign corporation that’s been dealing with a moderate financial scandal). It turns out that the estimated charge of this client’s “retainer package,” or the most basic package and time allotted for my firm’s services, was initially presented to be much lower than it’s been turning out. When a company takes on a client in need of somewhat impromptu strategic support, there’s simply no way of knowing to exactly what extent the situation will reach. That is, it was very important in this case for both our agency and the client to be considerably flexible toward the business aspect of this communication collaboration: we were going to have to charge them more than planned, as the time budgeted for the client’s first month of business had already been consumed at a high pace in the first eight days of our work with the company.

3. Trust. This is simply a matter of trusting in every counterpart and collaborator around you. From colleagues working at different firms, to regional counterparts within my PR agency’s Asia network, to the fellow intern supporting the Corp/Finance team at MSL, trust is another theme that has recurred to me throughout both my week and entire internship experience.

It seems practical, sophisticated and progressive for my firm to be working on as many collaborative client pitches as they currently are. For example, in the case of many financial clients my team is targeting, we have chosen to in-source strategy and both language- and cultural- translation in order to prepare presentations of optimum quality for our clients. While Hong Kong may be a geographical hub for financial and wealth management companies who are becoming more active in Asia, there has historically been greater activity in the financial sector in Singapore in recent years. This means, we call up our agency’s base in Singapore for their expertise, and even potential for client migration in the case of a need for new business. As I’ve already alluded to, it’s been very rewarding to listen in on conference calls and have lunch locally with firm counterparts from all over the region (and even from the Western hemisphere) since I’ve come to Hong Kong.

Finally…

4. Leap. Sometimes, a little initiative and enough planning to back an idea are all you need to implement an entirely novel creative project on behalf of the renowned firm or media outlet at which you’re working.

In light of the encouragement from our strategic PR and journalism professors Mei Fong and Jay Wang to be conscious of the social media atmosphere surrounding the company I’d be interning for this summer, I spent quality time reading up on my firm, its offices and professionals around the world. One thing I came to notice was that my firm’s Hong Kong office was not participating on the global agency’s blog. Hmm. I wondered why that was.

Once I started my summer internship and began learning more about the dynamics of my office and its executives, I wondered further why their expertise was not being voiced through a fun, thought-leadership outlet such as the firm's blog. So, I decided to ask my supervisor. Next thing I knew, she was picking my brain for what might be possible or advantageous - to both us and the industry - for us to share. We noted that Hong Kong has a unique perspective on emerging economies and a fresh need for public relations; there was also the fact that my firm had a wealth of creative interns (such as myself) that had typing hands at the ready.

I told my supervisor about the internship experience blog which I was already keeping for my summer course; the rest was history. I've been able to draw from the PR lessons I was already reflecting upon in my course blog (yes, this one!) and have so far created five posts that will be contributed to the agency blog for purposes of attracting future talent and informing fellow PR professionals and interns as to insider tricks-of-the-trade.

The most rewarding part of this process was receiving professional praise and affirmation from not only my immediate supervisor, but also my firm's global communications and social media overseer. My final lesson in the gymnastics of PR, then, was that sometimes you have to go for it and leap to achieve your greatest impact!

Ta-da!

#internship #pr #public relations #intern #communications #career advice

The Art of Warm Calling

In one of my early weeks with MSL Hong Kong, I was lucky to acquire one of many valuable lessons as a practicing PR professional - well, para-professional, as I’m still in training. Each day I come into the agency, there are countless tricks and tidbits that I am able to spot while watching my eloquent supervisor, Senior Account Manager for MSL Hong Kong’s Corporate and Financial team, Dominique Whitehead. Fortunately, I feel that I’m even picking up skills while skimming over emails that I’ve been cc’d on. The following was a skill I learned in a very hands-on fashion: my account-leading supervisors tasked me with phoning local, English-speaking journalists right after sending them a press release on behalf of one of our corporate clients.

Cold-calling, as I had so often heard it called in both classroom and internship settings, is in reference to the act of simply calling up a journalist to either pitch or follow-up, with the hopes of convincing them to even briefly consider the story you have to share about your client. The term, I feel, implies a somewhat scary task, especially for an intern who is navigating a foreign work environment and media landscape. Moreover, cold-calling could even suggest that a harsh tone is involved, void of personalization, simply filled with facts and straight to the point. Wrong. I’ve decided to re-dub this task warm-calling, as my own most effective measures - according to the new and inexperienced experience I’ve gained over the past two days in my office - have been those which are still prepared and efficient but as kind and friendly as possible.

My roommate for the summer, university colleague and aspiring journalist Emily Frost, gave me great advice: to be sure and begin my call with, “Hello, I’m so-and-so and I’m calling to quickly pitch a story about blah-blah-blah. Is now a good time for you?” What an excellently considerate way to begin sharing one’s potentially obnoxious agenda! After receiving a permitting reply to this preface, I’d guesstimate that the PR specialist has less than 2 minutes to describe the client’s angle, also assuming that you’ve sent them a certain amount of information already - maybe via a press release. After that, such a call can be a joy, really. My other tips include having your browser open with several windows accessible: that of the website for the publication you’re calling, that of your PDF press release (which, again, you should have sent them - draw highlights from the header and subheader to catch the contact’s attention!) and that of the journalist’s LinkedIn profile, if available.

In the case of my most successful warm-call today, I spoke with the Editor of a leading online trade publication in the sector in which my client specializes. I caught her in the office, fortunately - this was officially my third time calling - and she was patient, sounded smiley, and ultimately informed me that her organization would run our press release in their online edition. Score! As it turns out, it takes persistence, confidence, efficiency and a certain smoothness of the tongue to get a win out of such a call to a journalist. I felt so accomplished – especially after seeing my submission at the top of this publication’s News section the following Monday!

PR's Shades of Gray: The Relations in Public Relations

While I'm typically more drawn to a sunny shade of yellow, you could call me a fan of gray. Gray area, that is. The Western philosophies, moderately liberal political stances and dilemma-filled natures of college students tend to make us resistant to anything asserted as black and white; circumstances and the complexities of human society come into play when you study the liberal arts. This is why I've learned this week another component of public relations in Hong Kong that I love and am absolutely intrigued by. Nothing is black and white.

The paying client may respect your abilities and be shelling out the big bucks for your consultation; for the latter reason, however, they may also lay down firm deadlines for brainstorm material or a written piece that conflict with the deadlines of nineteen others.This is what keeps the PR professionals I've seen in action over the past three weeks in the office until 11pm. Sometimes, it's a simply unreasonable demand for turnaround; other times, its the urgent nature of a reputation issue at stake, which calls for an immediate and thorough response by said communications advisor/guru. Regardless, late nights don't seem less common than those I hear are endured by new investment bankers. And who said that Comm was an easy choice for a major/career path?

First, the time frames within a life in the PR industry are anything but set to 9-5. I had initially gotten the feeling - from wrongful assumption as well as my own internship experiences - that this side of the communications industry was much spent at a desk during regular business hours. Not so much. Don't get me wrong: there's plenty of desk work! However - from what I'm encountering in the Hong Kong arena - the daily calendar of a PR account leader might stretch from yoga-networking dates at dawn to corporate sponsorship events into the wee hours. While this leader may join a conference call [with counterparts around the globe, mind you] at 12noon on your average Wednesday, he or she might also fly to Bangkok on a Friday night to meet a client for over-the-weekend crisis confrontation.

In a very similar vein and particularly in Hong Kong, I've come to see that public relations are very much maintained by relations of the informal sort. That's right: networking. Everyone loves to eat and drink, and adding to one's daily work a little pleasure at meal times seems a very widely accepted, efficient method of consolidating ones day-to-day obligations (such as eating and getting your job done). From what I've seen, the daily routine of a public relations professional can and should include a wide array of meal-meetings, pitches-over-coffee and noddles-and-networking sessions (we are in Hong Kong). Moreover, just because the setting is a little less formal doesn't mean that the stakes are lowered. Today, I accompanied my account-leading supervisor and mentor for a cafe meet-up with her friend-turned-colleague, in the interest of a new "service" he would be pitching. His unique and quite niche consultancy does music; more specifically, they strategically design non-original music compilations - playlists, if you will - for business events from media lunches and corporate conferences to product launches and restaurant openings. At the risk of over-assessing what was a brief but meaningful chat between mates, I'd say that the aims and outcomes of this meeting were as follows: D learned of a new service to accompany the public relations provided by her agency, and C walked away with numerous new contacts to which he could reach out, a long list of email addresses, and a wide variety of potential clients to which Cmight be able to secure distant access in the near future.

I got a lovely cappuchino out of the deal today - but also, a valuable lesson in the importance of forming and maintaining quality relationships with professionals in this local industry, in order to maximize both the human resources and potential for connections around us at all times.

Finally, I've learned through my first projects with the PR agency that communications and content are valued based on quality, whose subjective nature (quality's, that is) means that there is never a single, black or white correct answer. We can't be instructed as to what is the ideal strategy for a particular client - it's known as a creative industry for a reason. Thank goodness for this: I never particularly mastered Microsoft Excel and all of its graphing capabilities in my communications courses. I nearly got them all down today. After the tedious assignment of quantifying the media monitoring results of three weeks of coverage over a finance scandal in a local nation in Southeast Asia - yes, counting the numbers of positive, negative and neutral reports from about thirty separate media outlets - it was also my privileged responsibility to assess all of these quantities for meaningful analysis to be given to the client themselves. I was at first taken aback by begin trusted with this crucial analysis task. As I proceeded through bit of news after bit of news, though, I began to draw both interestingly telling trends and key messages from the various media standpoints I had tracked as well as valuable lessons as to the ins and outs of effective PR. Every message counts. It's important to read between the lines, and to view each voice partaking in the public dialogue as that of an influential individual.

I noticed a trend in the takeaways of this week: PR is about the people. Feeling as though I'm a people-person was one of the primary reasons I chose to pursue communications as a career, and learning from those around me this summer that people and meaningful relationships are even more imperative in Hong Kong is all the more encouraging. I look forward to continuing to develop the relations that will comprise my public relations experience this summer in Hong Kong!

#public relations #pr #internships #intern #college grad #hong kong

A Comm Major's First Days in Finance - Financial PR, that is!

That’s right: a self-proclaimed enthusiast of all things involving communication has experienced her first days familiarizing herself with finance - financial communications, that is.

Bring it on, financial comms.

When I learned that my supervisor would be a senior account lead within my firm’s Corporate & Financial team, I was a bit intimidated. First, I have very little knowledge of the financial industry or what a lot of the acronyms in finance news headlines stand for. IPO - which I now know refers to a company’s “initial public offering” in reference to the stock exchange - and M&A - which Professor Framroze taught us is a shortened form of noting an organization’s mergers and acquisitions, in reference to the implications they can have on communication, management etc. - are a few examples. Anyway, I was also nervous about the chance to work for one of the top 5 PR and communications firms around the globe, while also immensely excited for the opportunity. It’s been a jumble of emotions, to say the least.

In my few short days at work, and with the help of not only my generous and helpful supervisor but also two other senior account heads, I have both learned a great deal about PR services as well as applied lessons from the Annenberg School that my professors would be proud of. Without delving too deeply into my firm’s secrets to success, I’ll outline several topics of this education here. Note: I’ve only been into the office for two and a half work days now. I’ve already drafted a press release, compiled a high-profile media report, and met international colleagues from my firm’s Paris office. Additionally, it’s a nice treat that the communications field celebrates “Casual Friday” - and on a weekly basis! - and also utilizes evenings and Fridays for inter-office knowledge sharing and team building.

My first hands-on PR lessons in effective client services included simple tricks to a high-quality press release. In the feedback on my first attempt at a release for one of the firm’s consumer accounts - a leather goods company known for its bags and technology cases - it was made clear that I needed a more cohesive theme to my writing. Lesson 1: be sure to maintain a single theme or “hook,” which your message to the press repeatedly comes back to, so that the product or service in question stands out to both the consumers and the media that will be sharing the product with them. This was a fun first assignment, and I’m grateful to account exec Edith for the help with it.

Secondly, I learned the ins and outs of a pitch to a potential financial client - and in particular, a collaborative pitch. The team which I’m working with may at time join forces with their mainland counterparts to create a comprehensive communications package geared toward the Asia or Greater China region. Lesson 2: Such work requires separate research, localized strategic planning, conference calls, and peer-editing for consistency’s sake. Moreover, such a fascinatingly thorough first example of my firm’s work gave me a taste of the services which may be needed by financial companies seeking communications support. Many of these are no different than what many types of companies could benefit from in today’s competitive markets. These include media monitoring and reputation analysis, executive and media spokesperson training, thought-leadership and reputation management, investor relations and industry trends, and social responsibility and corporate governance strategy. The list goes on.

If this was a taste of how much information an aspiring communications professional can gather in several days at a renowned firm like this one, then I can’t wait to see what the rest of this summer internship will provide me.

#public relations #internships #intern #financial pr #college grad

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