NEW PERSPECTIVES

Situation: In the spring of 2017, CLIF Bar was set to launch an all-new, category-first energy bar in the Canadian market—the CLIF Nut Butter Filled Energy Bar, CLIF’s first all-new energy bar to launch in Canada since the classic CLIF Bar.  Golin was tasked with developing a robust media relations strategy to generate mass consumer awareness and encourage product trial for their new bar.

Campaign: After extensive research by Lieberman Research Worldwide informed that Ontario and British Columbia were their primary markets and their key consumer was an active, health-conscious user, Golin launched a three-phased interactive campaign focused on aligning the CLIF bar with activities and an environment that promotes a healthy and active lifestyle. During ‘CLIF Media Basecamp’ influencers and media were brought to Whistler, B.C. and immersed in a 3-day winter adventure experience designed to build adventure equity and associate their brand with winter sport in Canada.  ‘Bike to Work Day’ launch the product to everyday cyclists in Toronto connecting the new bar to the brand’s history, having been created on an epic bike ride over 25 years ago.  In June 2017, CLIF and Golin announced a two-year partnership with Trans Canada Trail (TCT) to sponsor the construction of 150 kilometers of “greenways” and support the connection of The Great Trail, the longest recreational trail network in the world.  Springing off this exciting announcement, ‘Feed Your Adventure’ encouraged Canadians (through top-tier media), to discover adventure along The Great Trail with CLIF’s Nut Butter Filled in their pocket.

Results: Golin secured over 45MM+ impressions and over 100+ unique pieces of coverage for CLIF’s launch including spokesperson interviews, top-tier consumer media placement and influencer coverage. As a result of the launch campaign, CLIF reported that CLIF Nut Butter Filled Energy Bar was one of their most successful Canadian launches to date.

About: Golin are a progressive public relations agency, designed to reach a profoundly diverse global market. We proudly reclaim and redefine PR at a time when earning attention has never been more important. Through thought leadership and creativity, Golin provide effective solutions for major brands through a variety of specialties within their key practice groups: Consumer, Corporate, Digital, Healthcare, Multicultural and Technology. https://golin.com/

*This strategic campaign was submitted for a 2018 CPRS Toronto ACE Award, and is a Bronze winner for Best Use of Media Relations (over $50,000)

Situation:  From Town Hall to Kickoff at the WSIB

The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) has roughly 4000 employees in 14 offices across Ontario. In 2017, the WSIB created its first dedicated Internal Communications team, with a mandate to redefine and improve the approach to communicating with employees.  To build a better understanding of their 2018 strategic objectives and measures and increase visibility of the senior executives a revamped Kickoff tour of all-staff events was launched at the start of 2018.

Campaign:

Kickoff content was designed to deliver greater honesty, transparency and specificity about how they measure success.  Each regional office event featured one or more senior leaders, alongside the Chair or President and CEO, speaking to the organization’s 2017 performance, and their commitment to improving outcomes and providing excellent service.  Iconography, photography and employee videos were interspersed within the presentation, highlighting why people enjoy working there, and their thoughts on how to improve the organization.

Results:

Employees were able to offer feedback during the Kickoff sessions through data polling and “open mic” sessions with the executives, as well as through a follow-up survey . The Kickoff tour was well received with 74% of respondents agreeing that it helped them understand key 2018 objectives.  Overall satisfaction with the Kickoff tour was 22% higher than the last Town Hall tour. With direct access to a variety of senior leaders, visibility and appreciation of the executive increased.

About:  The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board is an independent trust agency that administers compensation and no-fault insurance for Ontario workplaces. http://www.wsib.on.ca

*This strategic campaign was submitted for a 2018 CPRS Toronto ACE Award, and is a Bronze winner for Internal Communications Campaign of the Year.

At CPRS We Celebrate The Value Of Volunteering! We want you to know how much we appreciate you!

People put a spring in our step and smile on our faces. “This Volunteer Week, April 15-21, 2018, we can’t thank our volunteers enough,” says CPRS Co-Presidents Danielle Kelly and Erica Silver. “Our organization couldn’t function without your dedication to the profession.” Do you enjoy volunteering for CPRS Toronto? Tell us why in a tweet!

We are shining a light on just a few of the incredible volunteers in our community who take the time to help others by giving your time and talents! This week — and every week — we thank you.

“Volunteering for the CPRS is a terrific way to get involved in the industry and I would recommend it to any aspiring or current PR practitioner! There are many opportunities to meet influencers in the field, acquire knowledge and play a role in events.” Tremayne Gomes, CPRS member

“Volunteering for CPRS offers you the chance to expand your social network which ultimately is what PR is all about!” Kathleen Hansma, CPRS member

“I volunteer with CPRS as awards chair because I am inspired by the creative solutions my professional colleagues find in often difficult or misunderstood environments. I want to make recognition of their excellent work as special as possible.” Nancy MacMillan, ACE Awards Chair, Board Director

“Volunteering for CPRS makes you as an individual a part of something bigger. Suddenly you realize you are a part of the community where you can get support, advice and mentoring, where you can share your ideas, listen and be heard, sometimes get the necessary criticism, and always – learn something new.” Iryna Zheliasko, CPRS member

“CPRS has provided me with valuable learning experiences through volunteering at the ACE Awards this year. Volunteering has provided me with the opportunity to meet experienced professionals, as well as increase my understanding of PR campaigns. I hope to continue to volunteer with CPRS as I proceed further into my career.” Caroline Eisen, CPRS member

“I have gained first-hand knowledge of the PR industry and its nuances and learned about some of the best campaigns in the market. I have met some of the influencers in the community who are welcoming and encouraging in helping you build your career. I urge young professionals to be involved with CPRS if they wish to make a career in the public relations industry in Canada.” Vaibhav Joshi, CPRS member

“One of the best things about our industry is the people. Volunteering with CPRS Toronto gives me the chance to see my colleagues, meet new ones and help to create a program that makes them enjoy their jobs as much as I do.” Robin Smith, Communications Chair, Board Director CPRS

For those interested in learning more about volunteering opportunities, and our new CPRS mentorship program, please contact Sheri De Carlo, Volunteer Chair on the Board of Directors at volunteers@cprs.org.

Seven members joined the ranks of their prestigious colleagues in achieving Lifetime Membership status with CPRS.  Lifetime Membership status is awarded to those candidates who have been active members of CPRS for 30 years and signifies the recognition by their peers of their contributions to CPRS and to the professional practice of public relations.

Terence (Terry) Flynn  Ph.D., APR, FCPRS, LM

Dr. Terry Flynn is an Associate Professor of Communications Management in the Department of Communication Studies & Multimedia at McMaster University and lead Professor and founding Director of the Master of Communications Management (MCM) program. Prior to joining McMaster University, Terry was a seasoned international communications consultant specializing in international reputation management, crisis and risk communications, and community relations and engagement. Terry is the recipient of the 2015 Philip A. Novikoff Memorial Award, is an award-winning teacher, an accomplished researcher and author with numerous publications in academic and professional journals, and a much sought after speaker on issues impacting the global public relations profession. An active member of CPRS, Terry’s many contributions include: serving as National President in 2009-2010, founding member of the National Council on Education, and one of the authors of the CPRS Pathways to the Profession.

Judy Lewis, LM

Judy is co-founder and Executive Vice President of Strategic Objectives, providing senior counsel to many of Canada and the world’s leading brands and organizations.  Named CPRS ‘PR Professional of the Year’, Judy specializes in results-oriented marketing and brand-building public relations campaigns, which have been recognized with over 200 awards. Strategic Objectives has been named ‘Agency of The Year’ several times by IABC and is the only Canadian PR agency to ever win the United Nations Grand Award for Outstanding Achievement in Public Relations. Judy is also an active community volunteer. She is the Chair of the Advisory Committee for Centennial’s Corporate Communications & Public Relations program and the Communications Strategist for The Canadian Centre To End Human Trafficking. Judy is a member of Profit Magazine’s Top 100 Canadian Women Business Owners and the recipient of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal and the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal for Outstanding Contribution to Canada and the Communications Industry.

Bruce MacLellan APR, FCPRS, LM

Bruce MacLellan is Founding President and CEO of Proof Inc., formerly Environics Communications, one of Canada’s leading public relations and public affairs agencies. Bruce is a veteran communications practitioner and entrepreneur providing counsel to leading private and public sector clients.   An avid and award winning conservationist, winning the Betty Day Award and the Vision Award from the Ontario Land Trust Alliance, Bruce volunteers with the Nature Conservancy of Canada, currently serving as National Board Chair, and is Past-President of the Lake of Bays Heritage Foundation.  He’s the former Chair of the Board of the Communications and Public Relations Foundation, and is the 2016 recipient of the CPRS Award of Attainment, presented to a CPRS member whose personal activities and leadership have gone beyond the call of duty.

Christine Smith   B.Ed, LM

Former newspaper journalist and employee communication specialist, Christine honed her leadership and communications skills as a Professor and program coordinator of Centennial College’s Corporate Communications and Public Relations postgraduate program.  Along with teaching and consulting, Christine developed the curriculum for the industry’s next generation of leaders and was nominated for the George Wicken Award for Outstanding Teaching.  As a freelance writer, Christine draws on her journalism background to create effective and strategic copy and content for a variety of clients, specializing in health care, education and non-profit. An active member of CPRS Toronto, Christine has served on the society Board and on the CPRS Education Council as lead exam developer for the Public Relations Knowledge (PRK exam).

Eileen Tobey  APR, FCPRS, LM

‎Eileen Tobey is Founder and CEO of beSPEAK Communications, a Toronto based boutique PR agency.  A senior executive with nearly 30 years of owner-management entrepreneurial expertise, Eileen has built a career focused on creating and managing successful initiatives for her clients.   She is an accredited Fellow of the Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS) and an active member of CPRS Toronto, having served as an awards judge, grader and mentor within our organization for nearly 25 years.  Eileen is an inaugural SheEO Activator and currently sits as an independent board member at HealthPro.

Deborah Trouten, APR, FCPRS, ICD.D, LM

Deborah is a Toronto-based communications consultant with more than 30 years of experience with major global and national corporations. As founder and president of Dakota Communications Inc. in 1999, Deborah advises companies on reputation management, strategic communications, change communications & management, stakeholder relations and corporate governance. Her career spans a number of industries. She is also a certified board director and has been a director on several boards throughout her career including CPRS Toronto. Deborah currently serves as a member of the Communications & Public Relations Foundation board and Partners International.

Janet Wile  ABC, APR, FCPRS, LM

Currently Manager, Internal Communications, with Chartered Professional Accountants (CPA Canada), Janet is an award-winning business communicator and a champion for effective, integrated communications within organizations. She is accredited by both IABC and the Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS). She was named a Master Communicator by IABC Canada in 2007 and became a CPRS Fellow in 2009.  She has mentored many students and accreditation candidates, sits on the advisory committee for the Corporate Communications program at Seneca College, and in 2006, was named ‘Mentor of the Year’ by CPRS Toronto.

I’m not an expert at building a professional network or even have the largest, but I’ve had the chance to meet amazing practitioners in the communications/public relations industry, who are part of mine.

Since my first year as a public relations student I’ve taken advantage of every perk my membership with the Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS) provided. From event discounts, mentorships to volunteer opportunities, you would find me at every event that CPRS hosted. I have contributed blogs for the CPRS website, volunteered at the Achieving Communications Excellence Awards four years in a row and was also part of the Student Steering Committee’s executive team. As an Associate member I’ve been able to honour my contributions and look forward to enhancing the network for the industry’s next generation.

In some ways, I owe my professional growth to the people I’ve met through CPRS’ Toronto Chapter, and my career path also reflects that. In my journey from student to professional there was one reoccurring theme: the public relations industry is very small, which in my perspective is a great thing. Once you meet a colleague or mentor they in turn could introduce you to your next manager or client. Maintaining my membership past student through to Associate membership, allowed me to preserve and enhance these valuable connections. This is what I love about the industry and what I appreciate the most from my experience with CPRS.

How you make career decisions depends on your evolving interests and skills, so why not take the same approach with your network. I believe the same effort you put in building your network amounts to the rewards you receive. What I mean by rewards is the people you meet, the knowledge you gain and the opportunities that materialize.

Take it from a practitioner who is still early on in her career and has a lot more people to meet and learn from in the industry. My career has just begun but I believe it’s vital to extend your networking efforts no matter what stage you are in your career – whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been in the industry for 20+ years.

Written by: Charzie Abendanio, Public Relations Specialist at Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment

https://www.linkedin.com/in/charzieabendanio/

In 2017, the headlines highlighted some of this year’s most important PR lessons:

1. Journalism is Evolving: Through social media, every individual has the potential to voice their opinion on the world’s stage. Practitioners must be attuned to the issues and feedback from their audiences.
2. Demand for Transparency: It’s been a year of revelations with secrets being exposed and an increase in demand for transparency.
3. Ethics in Public Relations:  In an era of “fake news” and accusations, practitioners need to ensure truthful and accurate reporting.
4. Reputation management: Do your research and your SWOT analysis to prepare all sides of the issues to direct the conversation and mitigate crises.

We reflect on our past year of activities and achievements and are proud and honoured to represent our local society’s members, who continue to lead the industry in experience, strategy and innovation.

In 2018, it’s your voice that we would like to hear. We encourage your programming suggestions and hope to highlight your achievements and insights on industry best practices by welcoming your written submissions for our website and involvement in society initiatives.

We would like to thank the Board and our volunteers for all their hard work this year and wish all CPRS Toronto members and your families, a very happy holiday season.

Danielle Kelly, APR and Erica Silver MA, APR
Co-Presidents, CPRS Toronto