Yearly Archives :

2017

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#CPRSACE – Still time for your submission
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photo credit@APEXLinda

photo credit@APEXLinda

There’s still time to submit your campaign for a prestigious ACE Award.  February 24th marks the deadline for full submissions for awards in 13 categories.  Receiving an ACE Award can help with market differentiation and raise company profile which could lead to new business opportunities.

Plus the CPRS Toronto Leadership Awards deadline is February 27th.  Plenty of time to submit an individual who has achieved excellence in their careers or made significant contributions to the field of public relations. Nominate a student, your boss, a colleague or CPRS Toronto volunteer today!

The 2017 ACE Awards will be presented at the Gala on Tuesday, May 2, at Arcadian Court. Come celebrate with a night filled with friends, networking and laughter and a chance to celebrate success with your peers.

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Rendezvous with Veritas; Winner of the 2016 ACE Award for Best Use of Special Events
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Rendezvous with Veritas; Winner of the 2016 ACE Award for Best Use of Special Events

Nina Szirmay-Kalos* is the Group Vice President at Veritas Communications. She is an award-winning media relations guru, PR extraordinaire, dedicated leader and a wise mentor. She is an experienced and highly motivated PR practitioner known for pitching ice to a snowman.

Kaur: Hi. I’m Suneet Kaur, a graduate of Public Relations at Seneca College. I’m talking today about the Award-Winning Sensorium by Stella Artois, a PR campaign planned and executed by Veritas Communications. It’s my pleasure to be speaking with Nina Szirmay-Kalos, Group Vice President of Veritas Communications.

Nina, first things first, what inspired you to launch Sensorium with Stella Artois?

Kalos: We’re always looking for new sources of inspiration. We knew our client wanted to be part of the circuit during TIFF but we needed to find a way to do that which was authentic to the brand and disruptive enough to break through the Festival clutter. Nothing is more authentic to the brand than the Stella Artois’ Chalice, so we used that as a jumping off point. The chalice is specifically designed to engage all senses – so we wondered what an event that did the same could look like. Sensorium was born.

Kaur: Like you mentioned, the campaign was timed around TIFF, and there was a lot of festival clutter. Not only did you break through the clutter, but won honours at the Ace Awards. Why do you think the campaign was such a huge success in the end?

Kalos: I think the campaign attracted so much attention and was a huge success because it was grounded in insight. We knew that our target demographic was more motivated by cool experiences than they were by cool things so we took our product and imagined a way for them to interact with it in a unique way. You need to always consider the needs of your market when building out campaigns and then ultimately deliver against those needs.

Kaur: You have your finger on the pulse with key industry trends. What is the most important aspect in PR campaign strategy design?

Kalos: Insights, insights, insights. You need to start from a smart place to end at an effective one!

Kaur: What was the significance, if any, of social media in your campaign?

Kalos: Social was of huge significance – an answer you’ll get 9 times out of 10 from most PR professionals. Our goal with this campaign was ultimately ticket sales and because of that we wanted to cast a wide media net to spread the word. By the time our media preview rolled around, the event was actually sold out, so the purpose of social went from driving ticket sales, to allowing all those who couldn’t actually attend to experience the event in some way. It also helped to drive interest in Sensorium, which Stella Artois has grown into a global adapt and reapply, largely based on the interest generated in Toronto.

Kaur: How did you pitch media and influencers to cover your event? Any tips for Public Relations students?

Kalos: We used the same insight we had for our consumers. We hosted a media preview before the launch of Sensorium, so media was enticed by also getting to experience this unique event. It was a huge draw given that this was all taking place during TIFF and the demands on media were so high – we really need to give them a reason to take notice of us.

Kaur: Did you have an ACE Award on your mind during the campaign, or was it only after that you thought to submit? Why did you think of submitting to the ACE Awards?

Kalos: Winning awards is wonderful. We love to celebrate great, smart partnerships with our clients – because don’t forget that none of what we do would be possible without engaged and collaborative clients.  But that’s not the basis of our campaigns. We work towards objectives that are clearly defined from the outset which rarely but sometimes includes getting industry recognition – but that’s less about the award itself and more about pushing ourselves to do something truly great and impactful.

Kaur: Do you think it’s important to submit to recognition awards like ACE?

Kalos: I think ACE awards serve a wonderful purpose. They inspire the industry community. It’s fantastic to see what your counterparts are doing and what they’re achieving. It motivates us all to find the next big thing.

Kaur: Why do you think VERITAS won last year?

Kalos: I think we were successful in last year’s awards competition because we had an awesome campaign that we presented to the judges in a clear, concise and illustrative way. Sometimes these awards submissions are difficult because you’re trying to bring to life a campaign that literately took months to conceive and execute through 2-3 written pages. Award submissions really are an art and the team takes them seriously.

Kaur: What advice do you have for those PR campaigns being submitted this year?

Kalos: Make sure your submissions are grounded in insights and that your objectives link to tangible results. You can have an interesting campaign, but if it didn’t move the needle for your client, you’ll have real trouble showing business-minded people why their investment in PR was a valuable spend.

 

By Suneet Kaur Lamba, Seneca College

 

*Nina Szirmay-Kalos

https://ca.linkedin.com/in/ninaszirmaykalos

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Event Recap: Passport to PR
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Three valuable tips I learned from Passport to PR

Passport to PR is one of the CPRS Toronto Student Steering Committee’s most highly anticipated events of the year. Students are given the opportunity to visit three agencies or organizations in the downtown core and learn from their PR teams. The group I led visited an interesting mix of two agencies and an international organization: Strategic Objectives, Coca-Cola and Pilot PMR.

Here are the top three tips I learned from PR pros during the November 2016 edition of the event.

 

  1. Internship interviews require a lot of preparation.

The team at Strategic Objectives recommended researching as much as you can about any organization you’re interested in working with in the future. Take the time to read about their current and past work, get familiar with their social media accounts and read up on the key players on their team. They also stressed that confidence is very important. You need to know exactly how you want to present yourself and what key messages you want to communicate.

 

  1. Keep a “roll up your sleeves” attitude at work.

Next on our agenda was Coca Cola. When asked how students can make themselves stand out during internships or volunteer opportunities, both agreed that it was to make sure you have a “roll up your sleeves” attitude at all times. It’s an asset to have a positive attitude and to always be prepared for any job your boss or co-worker hands to you. They emphasized that this crucial characteristic will allow you to challenge yourself and grow as a person.

 

  1. Get as much experience as you can.

Last but not least, our group visited the offices of Pilot PMR. There we learned the importance of getting as much experience in the PR industry as you possibly can, in order to find out what you do and don’t want for your career. Although most volunteer opportunities are not compensated, they are a great way to earn on-the-job experience when you’re new to the PR industry.

 

On the whole, Passport to PR was an immensely rewarding experience. The lessons I learned from the PR pros were invaluable and will help me as I strive to become the best PR professional I can be.

 

The Student Steering Committee’s next edition of Passport to PR will be taking place on Thursday, March 9, 2017. I hope to see you there!

 

About the author:

Mary Aloia is in her second year of Humber College’s Bachelor of Public Relations program and currently serves as the CPRS Toronto Student Steering Committee’s Vice President of Internal.

Twitter: @maryaloia

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Where are they now?
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Featuring Charzie Abendanio, Account Coordinator at APEX Public Relations Inc. and past President of the CPRS Toronto Student Steering Committee 2015-2016

 
What did you enjoy most about being on the SSC? 

What I looked forward to the most when being part of the SSC team was the opportunity to meet students from across the GTA during the class talks at the beginning of the school year. I was able to visit classrooms in Seneca, Humber, Centennial, Loyalist and Ryerson.

During the class presentations, I shared my knowledge, advice and passion for the public relations industry, which I continue to do today.

 
Where do you work now and what do you do? 

Today, I am an account coordinator at APEX PR supporting clients from across the corporate and consumer sectors. However, the journey I took to find myself where I am today was a whirlwind but also an experience I am very grateful for.

I initially interned at several Toronto PR agencies, which included energi PR, Weber Shandwick and Edelman. At the end of last summer I was offered an opportunity by APEX PR to work for the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo on the Recovery Task Force in Fort McMurray, Alberta.

My main responsibility on the Task Force was to support the Public Information Officer and communications department as the community of Wood Buffalo was going through recovery after facing the largest Wildfire in Canadian history.

 
How do you think CPRS Toronto helped advance your career or get you ready for your current position?

Every relationship I developed throughout my time with the SSC and at my internships was imperative to the opportunities that came my way.

The PR community is small and the connections we make are as important as interviews. My advice for PR students is: treat every interaction you have with a communications professional as an opportunity to learn about them and a chance to help guide your own career path. The opportunities that come from that will be endless and you can find the best position that aligns with your passion and goals.

Twitter: @charziecastillo

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/charzieabendanio

 

 

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The sexiness of PR
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Diane Bégin, APR
ruckus Digital / APEX Public Relations

If public relations would have remained what it was say 15 years ago, I would have eventually have become bored and likely would have changed careers.

The tools available today have given us the opportunity to connect directly with our audiences, no matter how niche – and for that I’m grateful, because that’s what made me stay.

Human connection is the sexy part of public relations.

PR now gives us the opportunity for real two-way connection, as opposed to the primarily broadcast, or one-way model that previously existed for decades. And it can give us a taste of what an individual is about.

My own career in public relations started around 1997 when I was working for a small business association, which was heavily weighted in government relations as a lobbyist.

By 2004 (the same year Facebook was founded), while working full-time, I began my graduate studies, which is around the time when I felt a reawakening for the profession.

I became familiar with the Toronto School of Communication.

In particular, Marshall McLuhan’s 1964 “pioneering study in media theory” Understanding Media felt very real.

“With the arrival of electric technology, man has extended, or set outside himself, a live model of the central nervous system itself.” Marshall McLuhan, Understanding Media: The Extensions Of Man

Edmonton-born, Winnipeg-raised and as an adult, Toronto-based, McLuhan became a cultural icon between the 50s-70s.

The Playboy Interview, a Laugh-In bit with Goldie Hawn called “Marshall McLuhan, Whatcha Doing?, and a cameo in Woody Allen’s Annie Hall with Diane Keaton are some of the outcomes of how dramatic of an influence McLuhan had on society at the time.

He died in 1980, but in the mid-2000s, the National Film Board – recognizing the timelessness of his thinking – released McLuhan’s Wake.

Consider the many things McLuhan said and how they continue to resonate today. Also keep in mind, a number of people at the time thought he was crazy.

“We become what we behold. We shape our tools and then our tools shape us.”

“In this electronic age we see ourselves being translated more and more into the form of information, moving toward the technological extension of consciousness.”

“A point of view can be a dangerous luxury when substituted for insight and understanding.”

“The new electronic independence re-creates the world in the image of a global village.”

“As technology advances, it reverses the characteristics of every situation again and again. The age of automation is going to be the age of ‘do it yourself.’”

“The more the data banks record about each one of us, the less we exist.”

“Innumerable confusions and a feeling of despair invariably emerge in periods of great technological and cultural transition.”

“The photograph reverses the purpose of travel, which until now had been to encounter the strange and unfamiliar.”

“Obsolescence never meant the end of anything, it’s just the beginning.”

The magic in Mcluhan’s thinking is essentially pattern recognition of the effects of all forms of media on individuals.

He realized that humans are always just humans – no matter the time period they’re in, or the media available.

The ability to be able to connect directly – and increasingly in more meaningful ways – with the “extensions of man” that we know today as social media, was the shift that I needed to realize that PR was where I continue to want to be.

 

 

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ACE AWARDS – GET RECOGNIZED!
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As public relations practitioners, we build relationships so we can invoke change – to affect outputs, outcomes and business results.  According to Hon and Grunig (1999)1: Outputs are usually the immediate results of a particular PR program, often in the form of media coverage, awareness and exposure;   Outcomes: measure whether target audience groups actually received, paid attention to, understood and retained the messages; Business results are commonly recognized as effects that make a direct contribution toward the organization’s goals and objectives.

One go-to tactic is media relations – measuring output success with volume, key message placement, share of voice and tonality. What about the results that are not covered by mainstream media – that are targeted to smaller audiences or issues we want to remain out of the headlines?

We want to recognize your hard work in these areas.  Apply for an Ace Award.
•    Employee Engagement / Internal Communications Campaign of the Year
Purpose: Recognizes exemplary employee engagement and/or internal communication programs that improved employee-management relations, strengthened employee communities and/or successfully administered change management.

•    Investor / Financial Relations Campaign of the Year Purpose: Recognizes outstanding communications work targeted toward investors, shareholders and other financial audiences.

•    Crisis or Issues Management Campaign of the Year Purpose: Recognizes effective crisis and/or issues management work through the use of strategic public relations.

1.    http://www.instituteforpr.org/wp-content/uploads/Guidelines_Measuring_Relationships.pdf

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President’s Message: 2017 YOU’VE ARRIVED – THANK GOODNESS!
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The year of the Fire Rooster is upon us and since it only comes every 60 years, let’s make our mark! Efficient hard work filled with integrity is the key to meeting goals and achieving success this year1.  We are looking forward to another successful year at CPRS Toronto, with an enthusiastic team on the Board of Directors working on some exciting projects.

 

The 2017 ACE Awards have been announced and the deadline will be here before you know it, so get started and submit your awe-inspiring campaigns and be recognized by your peers.  Want to display your hard work at Illuminate 2017? The Jan. 30 deadline to be part of the 2017 Research program in Kelowna, is a few weeks away.

 

We will also have a robust calendar of professional development events, so stay tuned for more details in the coming months!

#CPRSproud

Cheers,

Danielle Kelly, APR

Erica Silver, APR, MA

Co-Presidents, CPRS Toronto

 

  1. http://www.sunsigns.org/chinese-horoscope-2017/
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THE ACE AWARDS IS FAST APPROACHING!
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2016 was a doozy! But a lot of hard work was accomplished, so why not reflect on your past achievements and celebrate with an Ace Award!  Display your hard work and strategic success with your peers – a room of industry pros and innovators!

The annual ACE Awards recognize communications excellence in the public relations industry. It’s not too late to apply, though the deadline is fast approaching.

Get started on your entry today and be sure to make that early bird deadline on February 3. Also, don’t forget to mark May 2nd in your busy agendas for this year’s gala!

More information on eligibility, submission requirements and campaign entry categories is available on the CPRS Toronto website.

Important Dates and Deadlines:

2017 Key Dates

  • February 03, 2017 – Early Bird Submission Deadline
  • February 24, 2017 – Full Submission Deadline
  • February 27, 2017 – Leadership Award Submission Deadline
  • May 2, 2017 – ACE Awards Gala

Enter at www.cprstoronto.com!

Questions? e-mail ace@cprstoronto.com

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We Want You! Volunteer Today!
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Giving to others makes you healthier and happier – but it can also bring you valuable learning experiences, enhance skill sets and provide an opportunity to try something new.

Don’t get a chance to test your writing chops in your job – why not volunteer to write a blog post?

Or maybe you aren’t getting enough field experience – how about helping out at one of our events?

Or maybe you are ready to take your career to the next level – why not volunteer for the Board?

There are many diverse opportunities to help out CPRS Toronto, while making a contribution to your industry.

For more information and to be considered for future opportunities, please fill in the survey.

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We Want You! Volunteer Today!
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Giving to others makes you healthier and happier – but it can also bring you valuable learning experiences, enhance skill sets and provide an opportunity to try something new.

Don’t get a chance to test your writing chops in your job – why not volunteer to write a blog post?

Or maybe you aren’t getting enough field experience – how about helping out at one of our events?

Or maybe you are ready to take your career to the next level – why not volunteer for the Board?

There are many diverse opportunities to help out CPRS Toronto, while making a contribution to your industry.

For more information and to be considered for future opportunities, please fill in the survey.

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