When in Rome, do as the Romans do...

I believe the main difference between Western and Asian countries is the amount of government interference. We cannot argue that Asian countries are falling behind - in fact most of our Asian countries are 'westernized' in their thinking and way of life. One evidence would be the technological advancement that our Asian countries have achieved - Japan and Korea have succeeded in building a reputation for themselves in establishing brands that are trusted. However, government intervention in countries like China, North Korea and Singapore is more 'active' than our Western counterparts who are more liberal.

Public relation practitioners dealing with government-sensitive countries should be wary when handing out information, especially when it might offend the government. British freelance journalist Benjamin Bland's visa renewal application was rejected without explanation by the Ministry of Manpower because of his history of writing articles offensive towards the Singapore government.

I believe that when dealing with Asian countries, a lot of respect should be given and relationships should be built first, therefore inevitably making the process much slower as opposed to dealing with a Western company I suppose. This is because Asian countries are still very much rooted to their culture where these values are held in high regard.

It's a small world after all

I believe new media has greatly helped PR practitioners maintain their relationship with, and continue growing, their network. The Internet for example has broken down geographical boundaries and allowed access to all parts of the world. Information can now be passed on immediately, instead of having to wait days - especially when having to deal with crisis where assurance needs to be spontaneous.

The issue have been, and will always be, on transparency. As argued in my debate, companies now are able to respond to the public faster and disseminate information to a wider audience. However, some argue that companies are also able to delete comments that are not desirable or withhold information. But look at it this way: with the public fast becoming more demanding with the information that they receive, and more outspoken hidden behind that mask of anonymity that the Internet offers, do you really think companies would want to risk hiding information? I don't think so. Even if they do, it will come back to haunt them sooner or later, and everybody finds out eventually.

I feel the earth move under my feet...

With global warming becoming more and more of an issue in society, companies cannot run away from the fact that they need to be in step in keeping up with environmental efforts. Most companies are now consciously aware of the scrutiny that they are under when they take an action that is not environmentally responsible.

The public relations department is responsible for putting across to the public the efforts that the company is undertaking in preserving the environment and ensuring that the company maintain their efforts. However, they play a bigger role when the company comes under scrutiny by activists. At this point two things should be put across immediately and with a sense of urgency: sincerity and honesty.

An example would be the Toyota recall that happened in January 2010. While this is not exactly related to the environment, it examplifies the potential danger that a company can be in should they not apologise quickly, sincerely and with an honest explanation. Read on...

Toyota chief blasted by lawmakers despite apology

The Art of War

If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.

That was basically what was covered in this week's reading: strategies to proactively manage activity. Inevitably, strategic planning constitutes a large function of Public Relations, in relation to managing their client.

It's really like going to war.

According to Sun Tzu in his book the Art of War:

"One who knows the enemy and knows himself will not be in danger in a hundred battles."

Which brings us back to the SWOT analysis. Internally, a company needs to know their strengths and weaknesses in order to truly know how they will fare among their competitors. They will then be clear on what to use as their ammo, and what to protect from their competitor's knowledge. Externally, a company needs to know their opportunities and threats in order to gain the best advantage among their competitors.

I believe it's as much about foresight as anything else. To be able to predict and preempt is lethal. It gives any company an upper hand to be able to look ahead and plan alternative routes of action.

OCD

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder in which people have thoughts, feelings, ideas, sensations (obsessions) or behaviors that make them feel driven to do something (compulsions). Catch an episode of Monk. You'll understand.



However, OCD (Organizing Chaos Daily) is also the name of an organization service in Singapore that we have the pleasure of working with for our final project. Cleverly named, the owner has an obsession (although not obsessive) for organizing which she put to fantastic use and opened a business selling the idea.

What I most liked about this company is how much they made use of PR to leverage the company's name, and it's a strong learning point for all of us. They made use of press releases to get coverage on magazines and newspapers, set up a user-friendly webpage to explain more about the services that they offer, and not forgetting a Facebook account to keep in touch with contacts and expand their network base. All with minimal and clever use of their limited resources.

It's a worthwhile lesson that this small enterprising company is teaching us: you don't need to be rich, to be clever.

Oh. And girl power. (:

Lord of the (f)lies

I believe there is no such thing as a corrupt-free society. Even when we strive for it. Because the people that run the society are only humans. And humans will always be motivated by personal gains.

This week our case study centered on ethics. According to my Oxford Mini Dictionary and Thesaurus:

ethic n. 1 a moral principle or framework. 2 (ethics) moral principles.

moral adj. concerned with right and wrong behaviour.

principle n. beliefs governing your actions and personal behaviour.

...which is flawed in its definition simply because different people have different definitions of what is right and wrong depending on their influences and how they have been brought up and exposed to society.

It's a pointless argument. There will always be unethical behavior as defined by each individual. And because of that there will always be corrupt practices. What should be the focus is covering up loopholes in which these people will always try to manipulate.

That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet...

Press releases are clever and cunning, but a pain in the (insert word here) to write. Why? Because it requires explicit product understanding, and once you get that, it requires a careful understanding of your target audience. And then, there’s the framing. It’s like this:

ANGRYMAD @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ FRUSTRATION EVIL
VILE WARS @love flowers lollipops@ KILLINGS SUICIDES
BOMBINGS! @butterflies rainbows @ GEORGE W.BUSH ):
SUFFERING @icecream strawberry @ GLOBAL WARMING
POVERTYY! @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ RACIAL PREJUDICE

Only hear the good stuff, says Gold 90fm.

Which is interesting because a product can appeal to a variety of audience, but the presentation might not. Therefore how we angle the product plays a huge role in how well the product will sell to the desired target audience, even though they might have no immediate connection to the product.

Example: a G-shock watch.

Men are the obvious buyers because it's a "Man" kind of watch - rugged, functional, reliable. Therefore we focus on its reliability, functionality and outlook for this group.

But G-shock watches are renowned for their collector's item such as this limited edition Transformers piece. Therefore the angle slants a different way now: the focus is on its rarity.

And then there are the ladies who buy gifts for their (lucky) men. Another angle has to be played, but one that has no relation to the watch whatsoever: one that goes somewhere along the line of "Your man will love you even more for this". Mine did.

And how much of those are covered in my other classes?

Introduction to Professional Writing? Check.
Introduction to Communication Studies? Check.
Managing the Organisation? Check.

The practicality of the theory learnt is good and all, but it’s the realisation of how much of everything else is involved in PR is what gets me. Better start remembering what I learnt elsewhere.

Cents and Sensibility

So the debate begins with this topic: PR agency consultants should always do what the agency clients want them to do.

Ooooh.

I can hear the 'customers are always right!' phrase coming out already. But really, are they always right?

Lets put myself in the shoes of a client who pays a lot of money to a PR agency to get the job done for them. It could be a campaign to promote my brand during turbulent times and push sales, or generate awareness regarding a product launched just recently. The reason why I hired professional help instead of doing it on my own is because of the trust that the PR consultant knows best how to make this work.

So if you are in a position where you know that what the client is suggesting will not work, should you still do what my client wants you to do?

Choices, choices.

Honestly, I wouldn't. Purely based on principles and work ethics. But then again, honest people are easily deceived, and principles have no real force except when one is well-fed.

When we are in the actual situation and we're hard pressed to make a decision, we tend to forget to do what's right. And we do what's beneficial to us instead.

I believe it's a thin line to thread on. And it boils down personal discretion. Because what's wrong for me may be perfectly fine to another.

You know I have perfectly no idea what this has got to do with what went on in class. Because it definitely has got nothing to do with goals, objectives, strategy and tactics. But it's a thought process that went on that I felt brought about an awareness about the PR industry. And I think it's worth sharing. I'm looking forward to the debate - I think it's going to be an interesting presentation of ideas and ideals because theory can only justify so much. Till the next time. (:

You and me could write a bad romance...

Our lives revolve around relationships. The good, the bad, the ugly. Ones that last long, ones that don't last too long. The sweet and the not-so-sweet. And if we think hard enough about it, we realise that it really is a fragile thing, these relationships that we have.

When Tanya was talking about understanding Public Relation (PR) in class, I can't help but to think of the significance relationships play in this industry, because essentially it is about maintaining that rapport with your significant others - the media, your stake holders, the general public, the government, and whoever else that matters. It's like walking on really thin ice - they watch the contours of your mouth for a wrong word, then they gleefully pounce on you. After all, everyone loves a gossip; it brings a nice change to this routine called life, and honestly, who has the time to not make mistakes? Yet we know nothing of these parties we get involved with, but somehow they are important, at times essential and almost always frivolous.

And the media is quite a bitch, really. She's like the popular girl in school. Everyone hates her but they hang on to her every word. It's a love-hate relationship, us and the media. We love how they bring the world to our fingertips but hate the dependence that slowly manifests. And if I learnt anything useful at all, it would be to not get into Rupert Murdoch's bad books because he can destroy you in a news flash - and such is the power of the media and the people that own them. And when power comes into play in relationships, it becomes false and forced. There is no sincerity, only ass-kissing.

So what is my point?

It's not easy maintaining a relationship (what more several!) and being diplomatic in every situation. Which justifies the rumour that PR people get paid a lot. William Blake once said, "It is easier to forgive an enemy than to forgive a friend." And this is exactly why people pounce on mistakes. The dependence does not give leeway for mistakes to be made.

Either way, I'm up for the challenge. Are you?