NEW PERSPECTIVES

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AGM Recap
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On Wednesday September 27 members of CPRS Toronto gathered at the Mill Street Brewery for the 2017 Annual General Meeting.  In addition to a presentation by political commentator Scott Reid, CPRS Toronto Co-Presidents Erica Silver, MA, APR and Danielle Kelly, APR presented a year-end report.

Highlights of the report include:

  • Incredible member achievements from new APR, PRK exam participants and award winners
  • An overview of our financial position and our strategy to meet our financial obligations going forward
  • A review of our membership demographics
  • A recap of our PD, Education and Research activities from 2016-17

You can read the AGM Presidents Report 2017.

We look forward to serving you again next year.  If you ever have any questions or comments, please reach out to us at president@cprstoronto.com

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Where Are They Now? Kyleigh Benninger
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Featuring Kyleigh Benninger, CPRS Toronto Student Steering Committee VP External 2016/2017.

  1. What did you enjoy most about being on the SSC? 

I got to meet and work with fantastic people on the Executive team, to share my experiences with students across the GTA, and hear about the experiences of others in many different stages of their careers. All of this helped me to get to where I am today.

 

  1. Where do you work now and what do you do? 

I am currently Public Communications Coordinator for Stantec Consulting Ltd., supporting the City of Ottawa on a multi-million-dollar construction project funded by the municipal, provincial, and federal governments. My main responsibility is to provide strategic advice and assistance to the stakeholder relations portion of the project. Many of you will learn (as I am still learning) that as a consultant, it’s difficult to pinpoint your sole responsibilities.

 

Being a communications consultant in an engineer’s world has it challenges. But, that’s where my networking skills, largely learned through SSC, have come in handy. If I don’t know the answer to something, or if I am looking for some professional expertise, I tap into that network and get in touch with someone who does. If I’m stuck and need some advice, I’ll run it by someone in my network who will shut down my idea immediately, offer some new suggestions, or give me their stamp of approval. Moral of the story, NETWORK PEOPLE!

 

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

Getting the opportunity to network with individuals in the real world of PR, helped me not only to develop my skills, but to also get a sense of what it was that I wanted to do. I was able to get advice from many professionals through CPRS Toronto and SSC events, that I would never have been able to get on my own. It opened a lot of doors for me as someone starting out in the field, helped me to get a better grasp on where I wanted to be in the future, and ultimately, supported my skill development and awareness of life in the professional world.

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Connect with Kyleigh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyleigh-benninger/

 

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National Volunteer Week – April 23-29, 2017
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Next week is National Volunteer Week, and we want to acknowledge our enthusiastic and skilled volunteers who together, help us accomplish our objectives and grow our community.  As a non-profit professional society, CPRS Toronto appreciates the donation of time and effort from our Board of Directors and volunteers, who help to enhance our knowledge, skill and competence and advance the professional stature of public relations.

As members of CPRS, we are committed to striving for the betterment of the ethics, standards and principles that govern our society.  Our volunteers are encouraged to grow, learn and seek fulfillment as they help our organization accomplish our goals.

We thank you for your dedication, continued energy, passion and insight which make our community and organization stronger.

For future volunteer opportunities, please visit the CPRS Toronto website and fill in this survey.

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Where Are They Now? CPRS ACE Award Winner Student Public Relations Plan of the Year
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Stephanie Murphy was a member of the dedicated student team from Centennial College that won the #CPRSACE Student Public Relations Communications Plan of the Year. At the 2016 CPRS Toronto ACE Awards Gala, her team won for the Civic Action/Project Fusion campaign titled “Know the Signs” which focused on educating and building awareness around mental health in the workplace.

 

With the upcoming 2017 ACE Awards Gala just around the corner on May, 2nd, PRS interviewed Stephanie one year later to reflect on her CPRS achievements and see what she’s been up to since her big win.

 

  1. What’s been the most rewarding part of winning the CPRS ACE Student Public Relations Plan of the Year?

Overall, it was very humbling and nice to get recognition. My team and I worked hard all year for the campaign so it felt wonderful to be invited to the gala and to be included within the PR community. The Canadian Red Cross team was proud I got to be a part of it too.

 

  1. Where are you working now?

I was a Canadian Red Cross intern from April to May 2016 and after that I was hired on as a coordinator. I’ve been working on the communications and public engagement team ever since. I love it!

 

  1. What’s your day-to-day role?

Part of my time is spent supporting the Ontario communications team on a variety of tasks including media monitoring, design, research and writing, among other things. I also work on a partnership the Canadian Red Cross has with Global Affairs Canada to raise awareness about humanitarian work we do internationally. This involves organizing speaker events, finding opportunities for public engagement, and working on our annual Faces of Humanity campaign.. It’s a great learning environment because no two days are alike.

 

  1. Has your path in PR changed from what you wanted when you were a student or freshly graduated?

I originally thought an agency would be a good place to start, as I thought it would offer a variety of learning opportunities, but I’ve always been more passionate about non-profit organizations. When I was a student, the Canadian Red Cross internship opportunity came my way and it seemed like a great chance to dive into the non-profit sphere.

  1. What’s your advice to current PR students aspiring to win the award?

I suggest that if you’re interested you should push yourself to apply. It’s a great chance to receive more exposure in the PR community and to network with other PR professionals at the awards ceremony. Ask yourself, ‘Why not?’ You have nothing to lose!

 

  1. Looking back what is one takeaway from the award you would like current students to know? Is there one piece of advice you would like to give them?

The ACE Awards offered me a great networking opportunity right at the beginning of my career. I valued the experience of submitting for the award as well because it helped me build my professional portfolio.

 

  1. What skills did you harness when you worked on the campaign that you use everyday at work?

Team work is an essential PR skill that is a part of almost everything I’ve worked on so far in my career. It’s so important to learn how to be a respectful, accountable and helpful team player.

 

JOIN US AT THE 2017 CPRS ACE AWARDS GALA ON MAY 2nd AT THE ARCADIAN COURT. TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE.

 

Written by Alessandra Manieri, Ryerson University graduate and public relations postgraduate from Humber College. Currently working as a PR Coordinator at Strategic Objectives.

 

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Passport to PR with Strut Entertainment, Citizen Relations and Liquid Communications
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About Passport to PR

Organized by the CPRS Toronto Student Steering Committee, this event offers students the opportunity to visit PR offices, speak to members of their team and get answers to all the burning questions they have about the industry.

In groups of 15, students visit three public relations offices throughout downtown Toronto. As part of Group G, students visited Strut Entertainment, Citizen Relations and Liquid Communications. Here is attendee Samiha Fariha’s recap of the day.

Location #1: Strut Entertainment

After battling the morning rush on the TTC, I arrived unscathed at the trendy office of Strut Entertainment. Strut was kind enough to provide us with a morning breakfast of water, coffee, muffins and cakes.

The morning session at Strut started off with Samantha, the founder of the agency, telling us about her day-to-day responsibilities and a history of how Strut came to be. Three pieces of Samantha’s advice that really resonated with me were:

1. Pay attention to office culture, it’s more important than you think.

  1. Watch your social footprint.
  2. Never stop learning.

Location #2: Citizen Relations  

After our morning session with Strut, few of us in Group G with our group leader Mary took the streetcar to our second session at Citizen Relations.

The team gave us a brief introduction about the corporate culture and philosophy of Citizen Relations followed by an in-depth look at how the agency approaches public relations and their work. It was interesting to learn that Citizen does not have a core area of focus, they aim to be a full-service agency that serves clients from a wide variety of industries.
Location #3: Liquid Communications

At Liquid Communications the team spoke to us about some of the clients the agency worked with, their experiences in the PR industry, advice on how to get invaluable hands on PR experience as well as some of the key differences between working in boutique agencies vs. large agencies. Time flew by and before we knew it, it was time to leave.

I really enjoyed my Passport to PR experience. The event provided me with the opportunity to learn about how PR agency life is like in both large and boutique agencies and make new contacts in the industry.

UntitledGroup G having a ball at Strut Entertainment

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Written by Samiha Fariha, a student in Humber College’s Post-graduate Public Relations Program.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samihafariha/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/FarihaSamiha

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Passport to PR Winter Edition: A Post-Event Recap
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Having recently completed a successful event, Building Media Relations, at the upper deck of the Pilot Tavern, CPRS Toronto Students’ continued its journey across the PR industry.

On Thursday, Mar. 9, 2017, students travelled from schools across the area, including Centennial, Humber, Ryerson, Seneca and Sheridan, to attend the winter edition of Passport to PR.

These students were given the opportunity to go behind-the-scenes of PR practice, meeting top communications professionals from a diverse range of industries and organizations.

Students listened to in-depth presentations from these pros, getting to ask questions and learn the inside scoop on the PR world.

Some of the topics covered included transitioning from student to work life, the differences between agency and in-house, and the changing face of PR.

The students got the opportunity to select from one of seven groups. Some locations that opened their doors were Coca-Cola, Craft PR, Cohn & Wolfe, Ripley’s Aquarium, Edelman and Citizen Relations, among many more.

The group I led traversed Front Street, starting our morning at National PR before stopping by Metrolinx and ending our day at MLSE. The students had a blast and gained a great deal of insight from the communication teams at these three organizations.

We re-assembled as a big group, celebrating a great day in true student style, with a trip to Jack Astor’s. Students enjoyed food and drinks, making new friends and swapping stories from the day.

We’d love to hear about your experience at Passport to PR: Winter Edition!

What was one insight you gained from the event that you will take with you towards your future career?

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Written by: Maxim Naylor, a 1st year student in Humber College’s Bachelor of Public Relations program and student representative of the CPRS Toronto Student Steering Committee.

Twitter: @maximnaylor

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/maximnaylor/

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No Such Thing as Generic Influence
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On February 28, 2017 Boyd Neil moderated a CPRS Toronto panel discussion entitled Navigating the Social Influencer Sphere. Check out his thoughts on the discussion on his personal blog 

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Staying ahead of the curve
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With the public relations profession currently confronted with the need for profound change and adaptation, CPRS members are sure to find value in a speech by CPRS Toronto Board of Director and Chair of Education, Heath Applebaum.  Applebaum delivered a keynote address to students and faculty in the McMaster University, Master of Communications Management program that sparked rich discussion.
Applebaum shared his insights into the necessary evolution of public relations to help organizations to successfully navigate these risky waters.  Among his many ideas, he suggests why successful organizations will be those that are most willing to listen, anticipate and adapt to disruptive changes and cultivate authentic relationships. He adds that in these volatile economic times, and digitally influenced world, reputations are proving to be more valuable and vulnerable than ever, but must be built from the inside out.
Applebaum is a global-award-winning communicator and the President of Echo Communications, a leading reputation management consulting firm based in Toronto.  He is also a highly respected Public Relations Professor at the University of Guelph-Humber with 20 years of diverse corporate, agency, consulting and non-profit communications experience.
To view excerpts from this captivating speech that were  published in the Journal of Professional Communication, click here:  https://mulpress.mcmaster.ca/jpc/article/view/3096/2675
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Building Media Relations: A Post-Event Recap
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inBy Maxim Naylor

On Wednesday, February 22nd on the upper deck of Cumberland Street’s iconic Pilot Tavern, the CPRS Toronto Student Steering Committee hosted one of its annual events, Building Media Relations (BMR).

BMR brings together a panel of local media and PR pros to answer questions on creating and sustaining relationships with the press.

On the PR side of the panel, BMR featured Cole Douglas of APEX Public Relations, Jennifer McCarthy of Cohn & Wolfe, and Stuart Green of the TTC. On the media side were Hilary Hagerman of Yahoo Style, Steven Banks of ET Canada, & Rahul Gupta of Metroland Media, a panel full of character, knowledge, and an exchange of much industry humour.

Laurie Smith, VP Strategic Communications, Media and Audience Relations at CNW moderated the discussion. Although a difficult task keeping communications experts on one topic, Laurie guided the discussion flawlessly and with great wit.

The panel tackled a wide range of topics in the moderated question and answer session including blogger relations, influencer marketing, integrated content and professional communication with press members.

The floor was opened for students in attendance to ask questions, which sparked a great discussion on the changing nature of PR practice, client relationships and the role of press exclusives.

My favourite line of the night: “Know your brand, know who you are and stay true to that” – Steven Banks from ET Canada. Wise words!

The event was well-attended with students across different programs and schools, including Ryerson, Humber, Centennial and Seneca.

After the formal event had wrapped up, there was some time for networking. Students stayed, connecting with each other, as well as the panelists.

The event was a huge success from start to finish. We can’t wait for next year!

For those who attended, what was your favourite moment?

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Maxim Naylor is a 1st year student in Humber College’s Bachelor of Public Relations program and student representative of the CPRS Toronto Student Steering Committee.

Twitter: @maximnaylor
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/maximnaylor/

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Tips on Navigating the Social Influencer Sphere
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C5ynS5AU0AA9x9x By Rosita Chakardan

As PR professionals, we are constantly striving to communicate our brand’s message in a meaningful and impactful way to engage our audience. So when I received an invitation from CPRS to hear their panel of experts speak about the growing significance of social influencers, I jumped at the opportunity to learn more.

Tackling a number of key considerations when selecting an influencer, the savvy panelists touched on some key points that I think act as a good tactical guide.

Know the Power of Influencers

Influencers are individuals who have tremendous clout on social media and blogs with niche interests and topics. Having said this, the influencer does not necessarily have any expertise in their niche, but rather a passion that resonates with their audience. They establish a large following by communicating through blogs, videos, photos, and posts on social media.

Find the Right Match for Your Brand

The key in driving awareness, and most importantly generating action, is to ensure that your brand is matched with the right influencer. For instance, a food blogger writing about how fantastic a national brand’s sports equipment is, would seem misaligned. The blogger’s audience tunes in because they want to consume content related to food … not sports equipment.  The product is not relevant to the influencer’s niche. Selecting an influencer who aligns with your brand’s interests and values are the key to targeting the right audience.

Remember that Authenticity Rules!

It just makes sense! Today’s audience is bombarded with so much content that they’ve developed a discerning eye for artificial information. This is very similar to the latter point of selecting an influencer who fits your brand. A great way to achieve this is by creating a ‘top 10’ list of influencers who create content related to your brand’s focus. In order to determine which of the top 10 is the best fit, dig deeper by observing their tone, messaging and style.  Ask whom they have partnered with in the past, and what resulted of the partnership.

Give Your Influencer Creative Freedom

Once you’ve successfully recruited an influencer, how much creative leeway should they have? Well, you selected the influencer for their storytelling and ability to connect with their audience, which in turn is your target audience.  Give them creative freedom but ensure that you clearly communicate your brand’s objective, key messages and tone. If you have picked the right fit, the influencer will seamlessly advocate on your behalf with content that is on brand.

The same values that PR professionals should adhere to in every aspect of our profession also apply when collaborating with social influencers: transparency, meaningful storytelling, and authentic content. To ensure best practice, check out disclosure guidelines regarding paid promotions when working with social influencers.

With millions of influencers to choose from, it’s a whole new world to navigate. Remember the golden rule, ‘quality over quantity’, to make the biggest splash.

 

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